Bad Blood
by emele807
Summary: Leah Kane had grown up with Scott McCall as a neighbor. Growing up with Scott McCall meant watching him try and get Stiles and Leah to be cordial, which didn't happen. Growing up with Scott McCall meant being thrown into the werewolf mess, along with Stiles Stilinski. Who she hated. Really. Utterly. Hated.
1. Chapter 1

The tea kettle was whistling, causing me to push out of my chair and walk over to the stove. I flicked the kettle off and grabbed my mug, ripping open a tea bag and placing it in the mug. I hummed a mindless tune to myself as I poured the water out into the mug. Then I heard something. I stopped humming and tuned my ears towards the sound. It sounded like footsteps on my back porch. I looked out the kitchen window that was over the sink to see nothing but trees and darkness. Then a figure flashed by, running across my porch. I jumped a bit before backing up. The figure was going for the back door. I gripped the kettle a bit tighter and stepped closer to the door. Dad was asleep before his shift later that night and Mom was at the station, so I knew it couldn't be them.

I reached out for the doorknob, ready to move quick if needed. My plan was to throw hot water on the intruder, burn him or something. I had the kettle ready as I wrenched the door open, only to hear a scream. I screamed right back, flailing about, a bit of water flying out as I yelled. Then his hand came clapping down on my mouth. I felt my eyes widen as I stared at my neighbor. It was my neighbor.

I yanked his hand off my mouth, and glared at him, "Scott, what the hell?" I hissed out, "It's like midnight!"

"You weren't answering your phone!" Scott whined. I gave him a look.

"My phone was upstairs, I was downstairs." I said as if that was enough explanation.

"Why do you have a tea kettle?" Scott asked, glancing down to my hand.

"I thought you were a rapist or something!" I cried out, throwing my arms up. Scott's eyes went wide.

"A_ rapist!?_" Scott hissed.

"Scott! What is it!?" I stomped my foot as I leaned my hand on the doorframe.

"Stiles' dad just got a call about a body found in the woods."

"So?" I asked, moving my head around a bit. Scott's eager smile fell.

"Well, I mean, they only found half so Stiles and I were gonna go look for the other half and I was thinking you could come."

"Trek through the woods, in the dark, with you two, to find a dead body." I stated.

"Half a dead body." Scott corrected me.

"Oh, well, in that case I'm all in!" I sarcastically said, raising a hand. Scott stared at me.

"Please, Leah." Scott begged, "What were you gonna do tonight anyway?"

"Uh, drink some tea, binge watch some Friday Night Lights and then go to bed because in case you forgot, lacrosse tryouts are tomorrow. And I specifically remember a certain someone saying they wanted to make first line…" I trailed off. Scott rolled his head back and groaned.

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." Scott turned away from me.

"Woah, wait, where do you think you're going?" I asked.

"Home?" Scott asked, unsure of his answer.

"I thought we were finding a dead body." I grinned at him. Scott's face lit up.

"Actually it's half a—"

"Oh my God." I groaned out, stepping back from the door. "I'll be out in two minutes."

I put the kettle back on the stove. I dumped my tea and turned back to the island to clean up my books and various items. My gray kitten, Webster, jumped up onto the island and looked at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked, "Oh, come on. It's Scott and Stiles. It'd be worse if I _didn't _go with them." I closed my textbooks and picked them up in my arms, "Honestly, I'm keeping them safe. It's fine." I scratched behind his ears as I walked out of the kitchen.

I placed my books on the end table in the living room. I grabbed my jacket and slipped into a pair of worn in Vans. I flipped my hood up as I quietly walked back through the kitchen. I paused and grabbed a knife, placing it in my bra, just in case. I quietly opened the back door and I headed down the back porch steps, going around the house towards the idling Jeep. My hands were stuffed into my pockets as I ambled up the passenger side door.

"Barbie." A familiar voice greeted me as I opened the door and slipped in.

"Spazz Attack." I quipped back.

"Oh, nice one, Barbie."

"Thank you." I sang out as I slammed the door shut.

"Why is she here again?" The shaven head asshole said, looking over to Scott.

"Because." Scott said as if that was enough of an answer. The asshole pursed his lips and jutted his chin forward.

"Okay then. Just remember, the blonde always dies first." He said, looking in the rearview mirror at me.

"And the sarcastic best friend turns out to be the killer." I shot back. He winked at me as he put the Jeep in drive.

I sat back in my seat, looking out the window as the asshole drove. The asshole was none other than Stiles Stilinski. Yeah, _Stiles_, that was his nickname. No one knew his real name and I figured it was a girl's name and that's why he wanted a nickname. I had lived in Beacon Hills all my life and had never met a bigger asshole than Stiles. No, that was a lie. Jackson Whittemore was number one on that list, but Stiles was definitely number two.

What was my problem with the shaven head, hazel eyed, Adderall addicted loser? I just hated him. Simply and purely hated him. It was a mutual hate though. He came back into my life in freshman year and basically stole Scott from me. Okay, maybe _stole _was a little harsh. But he started to take all of Scott's attention and time away from me. And I was a little jealous. I was glad Scott finally had a guy friend to talk to about guy stuff, like boners and football or whatever, but Scott was my friend first.

Scott McCall and I had grown up next to each other. We had weekly sleepovers, where he would come over and watch movies and play video games while his parents fought. Mom kept a close eye on the McCall house when Scott was over there; she didn't want Mr. McCall to hurt Scott in his drunken state. Scott's dad eventually moved out and at one point, Scott went to live with him, but that only lasted two months. And then all was well, we didn't stop the weekly sleepovers. His room was right across from mine, a tree blocking our windows. In the fall and winter, I could see his window through the naked branches and more than once he had climbed the tree branches to get to my room. We were best friends and he was the closest thing I had to another brother.

And then Stiles came into play. I watched Scott drift closer to Stiles and further away from me. Scott tried. I had to give him credit for trying to get Stiles and I to hang out. But Stiles and I were too alike so we butted heads more than once, which led to me to disliking him more and more. But if I wanted to hang out with Scott, I would have to deal with Stiles.

"Let's go find a body." Stiles said in a scary voice as he flicked his flashlight on, holding it under his chin. I rolled my eyes as I pushed out of the Jeep.

"You see this sign?" I said, going up to the chain where a sign proclaiming that it was the _Beacon Hills Reserve. _"Right here, it says, _No Entry After Dark." _ I said, tapping my finger on each word. Stiles shoved by me, nimbly stepping over the chain and heading into the forest. I huffed as Scott followed.

"Dude, why are we doing this?" Scott asked as I stepped over the chain, hurrying a bit to catch up with the boys. I could feel the cold metal of the knife against my skin.

"You're the one that's always bitchin' how nothing ever happens in this town." Stiles waved his flashlight around.

"Right, but I wanted to get a good night's sleep."

"_What_?" I all about cried out, "I thought you wanted to do this."

"I mean, lacrosse tryouts are tomorrow and I want to be well-rested." Scott shrugged, "Leah pointed that out."

"Yeah, cause sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort." Stiles sighed as he wove through the trees. I walked next to Scott.

"I'm making first line this season." Scott defended himself.

"You know, it's good to have a dream. Even a completely unrealistic one." Stiles quipped. I rolled my eyes.

"Scott and I have been practicing almost every day this summer, Spazz. We have a pretty good chance."

"_We_?" Stiles let out a bark of a laugh, "Yeah, okay, you wouldn't last two minutes on the field."

"Oh, yeah?" I challenged, "Why? Cause I'm a girl?"

"Uh, yeah!" Stiles laughed again, "Sorry, Kane, but you aren't really, you know, the type to play lacrosse." Stiles put his hand on his hip as he stared at me. I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my chin at him.

"I'll keep that in mind when I knock your ass to the ground." I smirked at him, "Oh, wait, you'll be on the bench the whole season."

"Right next to you." Stiles reached out and slapped my arm with a grin.

"Don't touch me." I automatically said, pulling back.

"Quick question." Scott interrupted us, "So what happens if we find the body?" Stiles made a face before turning away, starting through the forest again.

"Huh, didn't think of that."

"And what half of the body are we looking for?" Scott asked as we followed behind Stiles.

"I have no clue."

"And what if whoever killed the person is still out here?" Scott asked.

"Didn't think of that either." Stiles answered as we came upon a hill.

"Glad to know you through this through with your usual attention to detail." Scott sighed out.

"I know." Stiles laughed as he climbed up the hill. I tugged on a branch, pulling myself up to the top.

"I can see the headline now: _Three Teens Dead Because of Town Idiot, All Bright Futures Ended." _I made a motion with my hand. Stiles slumped and turned around to look at me again, waving the flashlight at me.

"Seriously, Barbie, what are you even doing here? Don't bottle blondes hate nature?"

"A. I'm not a bottle blonde. B. I had nothing better to do." I held up my fingers as I ticked off my reasons.

"Didn't even have to pet your cat?" Stiles asked, making a face.

"I mean, I already masturbated so…" I trailed off, shrugging. Stiles' face crinkled up.

"You're disgusting."

"Everyone does it." I said back.

"You see, this is why boys don't like you." Stiles waved the flashlight at me, "Because of this."

"Because of this?" I asked, moving my hands down my body, "Please." I scoffed, "Everyone likes this." Stiles opened his mouth to argue back, but Scott stopped him.

"Dude, we're out here to find a body, not to argue about whatever the hell you're arguing about."

Stiles and I shared a look before he dramatically spun away and stomped off. Scott and I shared a look before going after him. Stiles started to climb another hill and I could tell Scott was getting winded.

"You know, maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight." Scott huffed out as he leaned against a tree. I watched him take out his inhaler to take a puff.

Rain had started to fall around us. I tightened my hoodie against me and looked around the forest, stomping my foot slightly. I felt the knife move against me and groaned, reaching into my shirt and pulling it out.

"Woah! Woah! Woah, what the hell?" Stiles hissed out, pointing his flashlight on the knife. "Listen, Kane, we can find another way…" I looked at the knife as Stiles rambled. Then I looked back to him with a laugh.

"Oh my God. Do you think—oh my God, you totally did!" I laughed, waving the knife around. Stiles was flinching a bit, "You afraid, Stiles? That I'm gonna cut you up Dexter style?" I made a face.

"Leah, stop." Scott said as I bounced on each foot in front of Stiles.

"He's so scared, look at him." I laughed as I pointed the knife at him. "Wanna play?" I asked.

"Uh, no not really." Stiles moved back a bit as I pretended to lung at him.

"Okay. Gimme that." Scott grabbed the knife from my hand and tossed away from us.

"Hey!" I cried out,

"Thank you." Stiles breathed out, turning around, hand to his chest, "God, Leah, don't you know not to play with knives?"

"You just threw away our only protection." I ignored Stiles, looking at Scott.

"Well, we got these babies." Stiles whirled back around and flexed his arms. I burst out laughing at Stiles' facial expression. I couldn't stop laughing as Stiles made a face at me and some sort of noise.

"Leah." Scott elbowed me. I held up a hand, calming myself down.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, but Stiles is as strong as like…Webster!" I started laughing again.

Then Stiles dove forward, flattening himself to the ground. I wildly looked around before I felt his hand on my ankle, yanking me down next to him.

"What the hell—"

"Shut up." Stiles hissed out, flicking his flashlight off. Scott was on the ground on the other side of Stiles. I looked out into the forest to see a squad of people scanning the forest. There were dogs and flashlights.

"Come on." Stiles hissed out as he scrambled to his feet, sprinting away from us.

"Stiles!" Scott and I both said at the same time. I pushed myself to my feet, following after the idiot.

"Stiles!" I hissed out, running in the same direction that he did. I heard Scott call my name from behind me, so I glanced over my shoulder. And then I heard the dogs. I dove behind a tree as a girly scream came from Stiles. I giggled to myself, but put my hand over my mouth to stifle the giggle.

"Hang on. Hang on." It was Sheriff Stilinski. Oh, we were so screwed. "This little delinquent belongs to me." I cringed as the rain started to soak through my hoodie.

"Dad." I heard Stiles casually greet his father.

"Son. Do you listen in on all of my calls?" The sheriff asked.

"No, heh. Not the boring ones." Stiles admitted.

"And where's your usual partner in crime?" I glanced around, trying to find Scott. I spotted him hiding behind the tree next to me. His eyes were wide as he motioned to me.

"Who? Scott?" Stiles asked, "Scott's home. Said he wanted to get a good night's sleep for school." There was a pause before the sheriff's voice boomed across the forest,

"Scott! You out there?" Scott motioned with his head. I watched him closely as he motioned for me to go. I shook my head back.

"Go." He hissed out. I made my jaw jut out before closing my eyes and stepping out. I could see the hard light of the flashlight, it burned against my eyelids.

"Leah?" The sheriff asked as I stepped forward with my hands in the air.

"Hey, Sheriff." I said, blinking my eyes open. He looked pissed.

"Leah!" Oh shit. It was Mom. Fuck. Oh, I was so done for.

"Hey….Mom." I casually said, stuffing my hands in my pockets as Mom shined her flashlight at me. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail and she was dressed in her uniform. I should've known she'd be out here.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Uh, stargazing?" I squinted an eye shut as I scratched behind my ear. Mom gave me a look as she wrapped her hand around the dog leash.

"Stiles, we're gonna walk you back to the Jeep, you're gonna drive Leah home and then we're gonna have a serious talk about invasion of privacy." The sheriff started.

"Oh, you know what, Sheriff, Stiles doesn't have to drive Leah home." Mom piped up, looking at me as she talked, "It's out of the way for him."

"No, he can do it. He's gotta learn to take responsibilities for his actions."

"I highly doubt he just swung by and picked Leah up." Mom said, glancing at the sheriff. He sighed.

"How did you two get out here?" The sheriff asked. I looked at Stiles, who motioned for me.

"It's all you." He said, hands in his pockets.

"Uh, well, Scott didn't want to go and I saw Stiles so I just…called down and asked where he was going and then…." I shrugged, "Here we are." Mom fixed me with a look.

"Let's go." The sheriff said, "Tara, keep going on the trail. If there's nothing when I get back, we'll call it a night."

"We are going to have a serious talk when we get home, young lady." Mom pointed at me with the flashlight. I made a face, cringing, but nodded.

"Come on you two." The sheriff grabbed Stiles by the scruff of his neck and tugged him forward. I saluted Mom, who just shook her head and looked away. I followed after the sheriff and Stiles.

I kept looking around the forest to see if Scott was around. Not like I could see since Stiles and the sheriff had the flashlights. I screwed my mouth to the side and kicked down at the ground. Scott was still out there.

I leaned against the Jeep, trying not to listen as Stiles got reprimanded by his dad. I turned to look once or twice, only to see Stiles' rolling his head back and the sheriff's expression turning more and more stern. I let my eyebrows raise and blew out a soft breath before looking to the ground, waiting for the conversation to stop.

"Now, you drop Leah off and go straight home." The sheriff sternly said in his _and no arguments _voice. I looked back to see Stiles staring at me, looking annoyed.

"Fine." He managed through gritted teeth.

"Your mother will deal with you when she gets home." The sheriff pointed at me, reminding me I wasn't off the hook. I raised my hands in the air and nodded.

"Understood."

The sheriff looked in between the two of us before sighing, relaxing a bit. "Get home, guys. Get some rest. You have school tomorrow." Stiles and I both groaned at the same time and then looked at each other. I gave him the stink eye and pushed off the Jeep. I opened the door and climbed inside, buckling myself in as Stiles clambered into the driver's seat. He started up the car and I reached for the radio knob, only to have my hand slapped away by Stiles.

"Don't touch my car." He said before reversing. I rolled my eyes as he spun the wheel, heading towards home.

"Uh, where are we going?" I asked, looking behind me.

"I'm driving you home. Did all the chemicals in the dye seep into your brain and make you stupid?" Stiles asked back. I glared at him.

"What about Scott?"

"What _about _Scott?" Stiles asked.

"Stiles! We can't leave him in the woods!" I cried out. "We have to go back!"

"No! No way, I'm not getting in another heap of trouble with my dad."

"Scott is my best friend, Stiles! We have to go back."

"No, he's _my _best friend!"

"Go back then!" I said through gritted teeth.

"Leah, stop arguing with me. I'm driving you home."

"He's out there, alone, in the woods where someone was just _murdered_ and the killer could still be out there!" I cried out, smacking the dashboard. Stiles didn't answer. I pushed my chin out and stared at the hazel eyed boy.

"Stiles, I swear to God, if he's dead, I'm gonna kill you."

"With what? Your skateboard?" Stiles rolled his eyes. I glared at him as the Jeep slowed down. I looked to see that we were in front of my house. "Now, get out of my car." I rolled my eyes.

"Go fuck yourself." I seethed out as I shoved the door open.

"Can't perform that activity on my own." Stiles sang out.

"Use your hand." I glared at him again before jumping out of the Jeep. I slammed the car door.

"Go get your beauty sleep, Barbie. You're gonna need it." Stiles called out. I flipped him off. Stiles smirked at me before he drove off. I spun on my toe and stomped up to my house. I went around back and slipped in the kitchen door, locking it behind me.

"Hey, kiddo." Dad's voice said. I whirled around only to see Dad lift his coffee cup at me. I slumped against the door.

"You don't have to yell at me. Mom already caught me." I grumbled. Dad laughed a bit, before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Was that Stiles?" He asked.

"Unfortunately." I sighed, shoving off the door and walking over to the island. I leaned my elbows on the other side and took Dad's coffee cup from his hands, taking a sip.

"Where'd you go to? The lookout?" I almost choked on my coffee.

"Dad! First off, no and second off, EW!" I made a face, "He's probably tried to suck his own dick with that mouth." I shivered as Dad made a face.

"Thanks Lele." Dad blew out a breath before taking the coffee back. "Thanks for that vivid picture."

"It's most likely true." I nodded, pushing up on my hands.

"Bed, please, before your mother gets home." I nodded again.

"Right." I walked over and kissed Dad's cheek, "Night, Dad." I said before walking by him.

"Night, Leah." He called back as I went for the stairs.

I climbed up the stairs, hand on the railing, other on my phone as I anxiously checked for any texts from Scott. There was nothing. I sent one to him, asking him to call me when he got home. I should've forced Stiles back to the preserve. I would have gone back out myself, except Dad was downstairs and there was no getting past him. So I was stuck.

I nudged my door open and stared at my room, blowing out a breath. I had convinced Mom to let me paint my room a bright turquoise and put messages on the one wall. Whenever someone came into my room, they would grab a Sharpie and right a message on the wall. I had oak wood furniture that consisted of a dresser, desk, and nightstand. I had a bookcase built into my wall, just random shelves that Dad had put together, making it look like stairs. It was from floor to ceiling. I had a big window behind my bed, the roof slanting underneath it. I had strung lights across from one corner to the other across the window. I had a pull curtain that was a cream color, matching the thousands of throw pillows I had around my massive bed.

My sheets were the same color as my walls, blankets and a comforter in different shades of the white. Next to the bookcase I had my cage chair in the corner, a birthday present from my parents. I had filled that with pillows as well. It was hanging by the window that opened up like a cabinet. I loved that window. It was right across from Scott's window and made for easy access if needed. Webster was chilling on the swing, looking out the window.

I went over to the swing, picking up Webster and settling into the swing. I pushed my toe against the floor, starting the swing. I looked out the window as I went by; Scott's lights were off. I screwed my mouth to the side and petted Webster as I gently swung in the swing.

Scott rarely got into trouble and most times it was always my fault or Stiles' fault. We dragged him out into our adventures—although I never went with Stiles willingly. But now he was out there in the woods because Stiles left him out there. Okay, yes, it was partially my fault too, but Scott told me to go! And I tried to get Stiles to go back, but the asshole wouldn't listen.

God, Stiles got under my skin so quickly. And we used to be close. Back after his mom died, he would always be at the station. My mom taught him his multiplication tables while he waited for his dad to be done his shift. And more than once, I had been at the station too. We got along fairly well. Until he hit puberty and became a major jackass. He started to call me _Barbie_ and I would call him _Spazz_. For obvious reasons; he would always be moving, no matter what. In class, at Scott's, something was always moving with him. And I hated it.

I hated how easy it was for him to make me explode. I couldn't even be in the same room with him without wanting to kill him. I hated him a lot. And if Scott ended up dead because Stiles didn't go back, I would probably actually most likely kill the shaven head boy.

"Scott's probably fine." I mumbled to Webster, trying to reassure myself. There was a knock on my door, causing the cat to jump off my lap.

"Come in." I called out. The door opened and in walked Mom, still in uniform.

"What the hell was that?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"Can we please not do this?" I asked, getting out of the chair.

"No, we're doing this, Leah. What were you thinking?!" Mom cried out.

"I obviously wasn't." I mumbled, going over to my bed.

"Obviously! Do you realize how dangerous that was?"

"It wasn't dangerous at all!" I cried out, whirling on her. Mom arched an eyebrow, "Okay, maybe a little." Mom raised both eyebrows, "Or a lot. Okay, sorry!" Mom sighed, rubbing her temple.

"Why were you even out there?"

"Something to do? I don't know. I wanted to end my summer with a bang." I sighed, falling back onto the bed. "This town is so boring. The half body thing was the biggest thing to happen." I heard Mom's footsteps as she walked over and sat down on the edge of my bed.

"It was still pretty dangerous, sweetie. Why couldn't you just set off some fireworks or something?"

"Because where would I get fireworks?" I asked, rolling my head to look at her. Mom laughed a bit as I sat up on my elbows, "I'm sorry." I said after a moment. "It was just…"

"Stiles." Mom finished. She let out a sigh, "I know how you two are nowadays. Dancing around each other and pretending to hate each other."

"What?" I scoffed, "No. Mom, shut up."

"You do!" Mom said, looking at me with wide eyes, "The sheriff and I were talking about it on the walk back."

"Oh God, Mom!" I made a disgusted noise, "Please stop before I puke."

"We were saying how you two—" I forced her to stop as I put a pillow over her mouth.

"Stop!" I laughed out, "You're so wrong!" Mom moved away with a smile on her face.

"Go to bed, Lele. You've got a big day tomorrow."

"How parentally cliché of you." I said with a grin. Mom rolled her eyes and stood up.

"No more going out to the woods in the middle of the night. Got it?"

"Got it." Mom went for my door and paused, turning to look at me.

"Unless you're going to the lookout with a certain brown eyed—" I chucked the pillow at her. She dodged it with a laugh.

"Ma! Get out!" I cried out, "And his eyes are hazel!" I yelled after she had closed my door. I could hear Mom's laugh as she went into the hall. I pushed to my feet and went over to my window. Scott's light was still off. I watched it for a couple more seconds in silence before screwing my mouth to the side and turning away. I went over to my phone and dialed Stiles' number.

The call went to his voicemail. Smart boy. I waited till the beep and then opened my mouth, "Listen up, Scott's still not home. Which means A. he's dead or B. he's _dying_. So if he's not at school tomorrow, I'm going to kill you….And I'll dream up a way to kill you because I'm too worried about my best friend being alive. So…be prepared. Bye."

I tossed my phone on my bed and stared at it for a moment before going over to my dresser. I stripped off my clothes and tossed them in the hamper. I pulled on a tee and a pair of shorts, tying my hair into a bun and climbing into bed. I held my phone up and clicked on Scott's name. It rang a couple times before going to voicemail.

"Scott? I hope to God you're okay. I'm so sorry we left you out there. I….I'm just really sorry. I hope you're okay. Hopefully see you tomorrow."

I ended the call and plugged my phone in as Webster jumped up onto my bed. "He'll be okay, Webster." I said as he curled up into a ball at the foot of my bed, "He better be okay." I mumbled as I reached over to unplug the tea lights.


	2. Chapter 2

My phone was ringing the next morning, startling me awake. My thoughts instantly went to Scott and I scrambled to pick up my phone, "Oh, thank God, I was so worried." I said as I pressed my phone to my ear.

"_We don't talk for a couple days and you're already worried?"_ I felt my brow furrow at the voice that wasn't Scott's. I pulled my phone away from my ear and looked to see that it was Connor. My brother.

_"I mean, what are you going to do when I have finals and can't talk to you for a month?"_ He was still talking. I slumped down on my pillows, shoving a hand through my hair.

"Sorry, Connor. I thought you were Scott." I apologized.

_"Scott? Why would Scott be calling you at…seven in the morning?"_ Connor asked. I blew out a breath.

"Because I _may _have left him alone in the woods last night after we went to try and find a body." I made a face, waiting for Connor's freak out.

_"You did what!?" _ Right on cue, _"Leah, how could you be so stupid?"_

"Hey! It wasn't even my idea."

_"You can't blame Stiles for everything." _Connor instantly responded back. I sat up in bed.

"I can and I will." I stubbornly said. Connor chuckled and I heard a door slam from his end, "Hey, why are _you _calling me at seven in the morning. Aren't college kids supposed to sleep till like noon or something?"

"_Well, there's this thing called time differences. I'm ahead of you, remember?"_ Connor sighed, _"Plus I figured I'd call you before you went to school. Lacrosse tryouts are today, right?" _

"Yeah." I blew out a breath, "Yeah, they are."

"_It's too early for you to be this excited." _Connor dryly said, making me roll my eyes.

"Sorry, I'm just…worried about Scott." I looked over to my window, leaning forward to try and see if anything had changed from the previous night.

"_I'm sure he's fine_." Connor reassured me, "_I gotta go, Lele. Call me after tryouts?" _

"Will do." I nodded to myself before hanging up the phone.

Connor was my older brother. He was a sophomore at Yale, studying history with a focus on Celtic lore. I didn't know where he was going to go with that, but it was something that he loved and wanted to work on for the rest of his life. I wasn't judging.

I had bid him goodbye earlier in the summer when he left to move in and start classes. We were close and the distance didn't make it harder; we would just talk almost every day. He knew how much I hated Stiles and how much I cared for Scott, even accepting him as a little brother when we were young. Connor was the one person I knew would bail me out if needed. He was protective like that.

I pushed out of bed and went over to the window. I pushed the frames out and leaned out to stare at Scott's window. There was no movement or anything. The lights were still off and everything was still.

I turned away from the window and went over to my closet, pulling out a shirt before going over to my dresser to get my jeans and my change of clothes for tryouts. I grabbed my duffel off of the floor and threw it onto my bed, tossing in my change of clothes, my gear and my cleats before trying to shove my lacrosse stick into the bag. It fit, barely, the cradle was sticking out but I was fine with that.

I dressed myself and shoved my feet into a pair of burgundy Vans. I put my duffel around my shoulders and slipped my backpack on my back before grabbing a beanie and pulling it on as I went for my bedroom door.

The kitchen and living room were empty as I searched for my parents. Both must have already gone out to work. I screwed my mouth to the side as Webster darted by, going for his food bowl. I followed, getting the food out and filling his bowl before dumping half a water bottle into the water bowl. I crouched down next to him and scratched behind his ears.

"Wish me luck, Webster." I mumbled before standing up and taking an apple from out of the fruit basket. I stuck it in my mouth so my hands were free. I grabbed my skateboard, which was propped up against the wall by the front door. I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, closing the door firmly behind me.

I took the apple out of my mouth and went down the steps, looking over to the McCall house as I went. I put my skateboard down and stepped on it, pushing off with my other foot. I went towards the McCall house, adjusting my angle as needed. Connor had taught be how to skate when I was younger. It came in handy because I didn't have a car and I needed some way to get to school. I hated walking and being able to coast along on a moving board seemed like a pretty sweet idea to me.

I started to eat my apple as I came upon the house, leaning back to come to a stop. I saw Scott rolling his bike out of the garage and let out a sigh of relief. I kicked my board up and grabbed it in my free hand, running up to him.

"You're alive!" I crooned, throwing my arms around his neck. Scott laughed and rocked back to accommodate the fact that I had just tossed myself and all my stuff at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alive." Scott was grinning as I stepped back.

"I told Stiles to go back but he was being a major—"

"Got it." Scott nodded at me. I rolled my eyes as he mounted his bike, "I got your message too." He said as he waited for me to drop my board back down. I pushed off again, lining up with him on the street as he rode on the sidewalk.

"Why didn't you call me back?"

"You didn't ask me to." Scott shrugged. I gaped at him.

"It was _implied!_" I yelled out, "When you go missing in the woods, you usually call when you get home to let your best friend know that you're alive and not all chewed up!"

"Well, I'm kinda chewed up." Scott made a face. I looked over at him, eyes wide with fear and worry.

"What happened?" I asked, leaning back to slow to a stop as Scott stopped pedaling. He lifted up his shirt to show me a gauze pad on his side. It was blood stained and looked like a bite.

"Something bit you?" I asked, pushing back off to start rolling forward. Scott nodded.

"Some type of animal or something."

"Like a wolf?" I asked. Scott shrugged.

"That's what I'm thinking." I screwed my mouth to the side and skated a couple more blocks just eating my apple until I hit the core.

"Oh!" Scott's voice startled me a bit, "I found the other half of the body." He added. I made a face, doing a double take.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah." He shivered, "The top half."

"Oh my God!" I cried out, clapping a hand over my mouth, "That's fantastic! Did you tell Stiles?"

"Not yet."

"Yes!" I was so happy Scott told me first. I was the first to know about the body. I couldn't wait to see Stiles' face when he found out. "Oh, he's gonna be so pissed." I laughed as we turned down the street to get to the school parking lot. I kicked back off of my skateboard and reached down to pick it up. I shoved it under my arm and walked next to Scott, over to the bike rack.

"You telling me first kinda makes up for the whole _not calling me back_ thing." I made a face. Scott rolled his eyes.

"Could you maybe try not to be such a bitch this year?" Scott asked.

"It's the only thing I know." I pouted as Scott got off his bike and rolled it into an open spot on the end of the bike rack.

"Leah…" Scott gave me a look.

"Dude, I'm not always a bitch!" I raised my hands a bit as Scott locked his bike up.

"Oh, yeah? Prove it." Scott challenged. I felt a car door slam into the back of my legs. I was about to whirl around, ready to spew curses at the kid. But I saw Scott's knowing look. I took in a breath and plastered a fake smile on my face.

"Sorry!" I said, voice octave higher than usual, "Didn't see you there."

Jackson Whittemore gave me an arched eyebrow look as he slammed the car door, "What the hell kinda drugs are you on, Kane? Trust me, they won't help you at tryouts." I narrowed my eyes at him, "Watch the paint job next time…dyke."

I lunged for Jackson, skateboard dropping from my hand, but Scott wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back, "Let me go, Scott!" I yelled out, trying to force my way out of Scott's arms. But he was surprisingly stronger than usual. Jackson smirked at me and watched me struggle for a moment before he walked away to meet up with some other guys on the lacrosse team. I slumped against Scott's arms and slapped them until he let me go.

"Well, that lasted all about five seconds." Scott sighed out as I turned around to look at him.

"When did you get so strong?" I asked, reaching out to squeeze his bicep, "You haven't been working out without me have you?"

"What? No. Why?" Scott made a muscle, "Do I look buffer?"

"No. You look just as scrawny and lean." I grinned at Scott, lightly punching him the gut before stepping back. I turned to look at Jackson's Porsche and crossed my arms over my chest. I reached down to pick up my skateboard and wound up, ready to smash the driver's side window in.

"Not worth it." Scott grabbed the skateboard from my hand and started to walk away.

"Hey! Don't throw that away like you did the knife. I need that." I hurried after him.

"I'm gonna keep it until you promise me you'll be nice to one person."

"I was! To Jackass!" I threw my hand behind me. "And him calling me a dyke is kinda ironic considering Danny. I think I—" Scott fixed me with a look. I slumped forward, "Fine." I grumbled, "I promise." Scott grinned his _I did it_ smile. I rolled my eyes as he handed my skateboard back to me.

"Thank you." I said with wide eyes.

"You ready for tryouts?" Scott asked as he placed his now free hands on his backpack straps. I sighed.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I'm excited."

"You should be. You know, like, everything." Scott moved his head around as I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"That's very true." I laughed a bit, "It's gonna be…interesting."

"There you are!" Stiles' voice called out as I watched him jog up to us, "I've been looking everywhere for you." We walked with him to a bench where Scott put his bag down.

"Why the _fuck_ are you wearing a blazer _over _a hoodie?" I asked, getting Stiles' attention.

"It's called fashion, Barbie. Something that you blondes should know all about." Stiles glared at me.

"Uh, what magazine are you reading? _Dorkhood 101?_" I asked, laughing a bit.

"Oh, where'd you get that beanie? Hmmm? The local hipster convention?" Stiles shot back.

"Can you two please go two minutes without fighting?" Scott broke into our argument.

"No." Stiles and I both said at the same time. I glared at him, he glared back. Then he turned his attention to Scott.

"Let's see this thing." Stiles rocked back on his heels.

"See what?" I asked, looking to Scott.

"I told him about the bite last night." Scott explained. I gaped at him.

"You called Spazz Attack last night, but not me!?" I cried out, "Scott!"

"He asked me to call him!" Scott pulled his shoulders up, eyes wide.

"Yeah, Barbie, you gotta be specific in your voicemails." Stiles chimed in. I looked at him.

"Oh, speaking of, I figured out a way I was going to kill you." I raised my skateboard again, but Scott stepped in the way, back to me, shirt lifted a bit. I made a stink face as Stiles winked at me from over Scott's shoulder. I dropped the skateboard down from attack mode.

"Woah!" Stiles leaned in to touch it, but Scott flinched back.

"It was too dark to see much, but I think it was a wolf." Scott said as he picked his bag back up and slung it around his shoulder. Stiles chuckled as the three of us started walking towards the front of the school.

"No, not a chance."

"Heard a wolf howling." Scott explained.

"No, you didn't." Stiles shook his head. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What do you mean _no I didn't? _How do you know what I heard?" Scott scoffed. Stiles laughed at Scott like he was stupid and walked a bit faster so he was in front of me and Scott before stopping our journey.

"Because California doesn't have wolves." Stiles explained, "Not in like sixty years."

"Really?" Scott asked, looking shot down.

"Yes, really. There are no wolves in California." Stiles moved about, trying to make his point.

"So what was it then?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest, "A _mountain lion_?" I snorted.

"It was probably just a stray dog." Stiles rolled his head back, "I don't believe him."

"Then if you don't believe him about the wolf, you totally won't believe him when he tells you he found the other half of the body." I said with a smirk, popping my cheek out with my tongue as Stiles' eyes went wide and flicked from me to Scott as he jumped back a bit. Scott shrugged and Stiles made a flailing motion.

"Wha—Are you kidding me?" Stiles put a hand out to brace himself from falling into Scott.

"Nope!" I spoke up, "And he told _me first_." I grinned as I looked from Scott to Stiles.

"What!? You told her before you told me?!"

"Ha ha haha ha." I sang out with a grin on my face.

"Dude!" Stiles was so annoyed, "How could you tell Barbie before me?"

"Because I have the decency to walk with my best friend to school, unlike _some _people." I let my eyes travel up Stiles' body. His jaw was clenched and he stomped his foot. I knew he was deciding on whether to fight me or ignore me and celebrate about the body.

"Oh God, that is freaking awesome." He chose the body. Stiles laughed a bit, "This is the best thing to ever happen to this town since…" His eyes traveled over my shoulder, attention diverted by something—or rather _someone_ else. "Since the birth of Lydia Martin!" He finished. I glanced over as Lydia sauntered up to us, curls bouncing, minions flocking her either side.

"Hey, Lydia." Stiles tried to get the Queen Bee's attention as she walked by, "You look….like you're gonna ignore me." He lamely finished as Lydia completely ignored him. I tried to contain my smirk as Stiles stomped his foot again and swung his head around to look at us.

"You know, you two are the cause of this." He pushed the blame of Lydia not noticing Stiles onto us. I raised my eyebrows, "We got the asshole of Beacon Hills High—" He motioned to me before moving onto Scott, "And you. Dragging me down in your nerd depths." The bell rang, making Stiles turn, but his mouth kept moving, "I've been scarlet nerded by you."

"Oh, please. You can go jack off to pictures of her in your room after tryouts." I rolled my eyes as we walked up the stairs.

"Actually no." Stiles held up a hand, "You're disgusting, thank you. I respect Lydia. I'm not some psycho weirdo."

"Riiiiiight." I dragged out the word, "Cause harboring a crush on her since she gave you her green crayon in third grade isn't weird at all." I made a face, "Do you still have it? Keep it in a little box marked _Lydia?_"

"Go to hell." Stiles grumbled.

"Already here." I shot back, eyes wide. Stiles' jaw clenched and he stomped off down the hall to his locker.

Stiles Stilinski had been _obsessed _with Lydia Martin since the third grade, back when we were still friends. He loved her; always got to school early so he could watch Lydia walk into the building, hurrying to catch up with her and try and get her to talk to him. She never did, but Stiles never let up. He wanted to marry the girl and thought that she was _the one_. I didn't understand it. She was just a dumb popular girl. Or at least she acted like one, which I didn't understand for a second. But I wasn't obsessed with her, Stiles was.

"Leaaaah." Scott groaned, dragging my name out. I looked over to him with a shrug.

"What?"

"Do you remember what we talked about? Not being a bitch?"

"Yeah, to _one_ person." I held up a finger, "You didn't specify _which _person." I pointed out as we came upon my locker. Scott rolled his eyes.

"See you in English." I waggled my fingers as Scott kept walking down the hall.

I dropped my bag on the ground and propped my skateboard up against the bottom locker so I could get to my backpack. I unloaded some notebooks I had brought with me for various classes, keeping a couple in for classes. I hung up a picture of me and Connor and then one of me and Scott before fixing the whiteboard. I stepped back and slammed the door shut, swinging my bag back around onto my back and picking up my duffel and skateboard.

The crowds were loud and full of other students. I maneuvered my way through the screaming girls and the couples making out. I wanted to puke. I hated this school. With a passion. I didn't get along with most of my peers; something about my personality. Which was bullshit cause I was the realest person I knew. I didn't do fake. I went to school because it took up most of my day, then practice, then—depending on the day, I went to work and then I went home. I had a routine.

The girls' locker room was quiet and empty as I pushed through the door. I went over to my locker and spun the combination. I slid my skateboard against the side of the locker before pushing in my duffel. The second bell was ringing as I closed the door. I was late for homeroom, which was never a good thing. Especially on the first day.

I ran down the hall, hair flying out behind me and I had to keep one hand on my head just in case my beanie decided to take flight. I slid to a stop in front of the door to homeroom, slipping a bit, but I caught myself on the doorframe. I let out a breath as I tightened my backpack straps and stepping into the classroom.

"Miss Kane. How nice of you to join us." Mr. Harris droned out. I saluted him.

"Just making your day a bit brighter, Mr. Harris." I said as a fell into the first seat I saw. Mr. Harris just gave me a look before handing out a yellow piece of paper. I slumped down, letting out a sigh before pushing to my feet.

"Always a pleasure." I grumbled, taking the slip and walking out the door.

I trudged down the hall, itching my head for a second before looking down at the slip of paper. I hadn't even been in school for an hour and I was already being sent to the principal's office. I'd call it a record. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a bad kid. I was just a late one. I was rarely on time for anything, which was frowned upon in Beacon Hills High.

I passed by Scott's homeroom and caught his eye, waving the yellow piece of paper in the air with an exaggerated grin. Scott rolled his eyes as the bell rang for first period. I waited for him to come out of his homeroom. Lydia marched out first, in all her glory, and then Scott came ambling out.

"How were you late?" He laughed at me, "You were with me the whole time. What'd you do? Go to Starbucks?"

"Mr. Harris just can't seem to appreciate all that I do for him." I sighed out.

"Oh, so _that's _how you got an A in Biology." Scott waggled his eyebrows. I shoved him.

"Shut up."

"I'll save you a seat in English." Scott promised as he ducked into the classroom. I grinned to myself before going up the steps, heading towards the office.

I leaned my body against the door, pushing it open and stepping inside. I walked up to the front counter to see Ms. Bennet sitting on the other side. She glanced up and gave me a knowing smile as I leaned against the counter.

"Hey, Claire." I sighed out.

"What sort of trouble did you get yourself into at eight in the morning on the first day?" She asked as I handed her the yellow slip. I went for the candy jar as she read it over.

"How was your summer?" I asked, making conversation.

"Good, relaxing." Ms. Bennet nodded at me as I threw back a handful of M&Ms. "I'll tell him you're here."

"Thanks, Ms. Bennet." I knocked twice on the counter as she pushed out of her chair and walked into the principal's office. I took a step back and slumped down against the wall, picking at my nails.

Minutes later, Ms. Bennet came back out with the Vice Principal behind her. I waved at him as he gave me a chuckle. "I'm almost impressed, Miss Kane." He said as he stepped around the barrier.

"Almost? You mean somebody else did something worse than being late to homeroom?" I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest, "Do tell."

"Come with me, Miss Kane. I have a favor to ask of you." The Vice Principal walked towards the door. I waved to Ms. Bennet.

"Bye, Ms. Bennet. Thanks for the early morning sugar rush." I got a laugh from her as I turned to follow the Vice Principal.

"Now, I know how much you love this school—" I snorted, "And I was hoping I could ask that you help out a new student." He cut straight to the point.

"And why would I want to do this?" I asked, squinting at him.

"Because I can either help or hinder your academic success, Miss Kane."

"Right." I nodded. "So you're basically blackmailing me."

"Let's not get technical here." He said as we walked to the doors. I snorted again.

"Okay, well, I guess I don't really have a choice do I?" I asked, shoving my hands into my pockets.

"Not really, no." The Vice Principal made me laugh. I liked him a lot more than our actual Principal.

"Alright." I sighed, "Let's meet the newbie." I said as we walked down the front steps. There was a girl sitting on a bench, on her phone. She quickly ended the call as she saw us coming up to her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." The Vice Principal said as he reached out for her hand. The girl graciously stood up and shook it.

"Oh, it's okay." She said with a friendly smile. Her eyes darted over to me and Scott's words echoed in my head. _Don't be a bitch_.

"Hi." I said, plastering a grin on my face and sticking out my hand, "I'm Leah."

"Allison Argent." Allison introduced herself with a firm shake of my hand.

"Nice handshake." I commented.

"Oh, thank you." Allison looked a little thrown. The Vice Principal looked in between us with a smile.

"Allison, Leah is going to be showing you around our school. If you have any questions, you can come to her. Morning, afternoon, night."

"Woah, let's not get too crazy." I said, putting my hands up. Allison laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it early." Allison gave me a grin. I laughed a bit and glanced over to the Vice Principal, who looked ecstatic.

"Well, let's get you two to class." He said, once he saw an opening. We all turned and followed him back to the building.

"So your file says San Francisco is where you grew up." The Vice Principal asked. Allison nodded as we walked, "Were you born there?" He asked as he held the door open for me and Allison.

"No, but we stayed there for more than a year which is unusual for my family." Allison explained as we walked down the hall.

"Well, hopefully Beacon Hills is your last stop for a while." The Vice Principal commented as we came upon the English class.

"This is English." I said, nodding to the door, "Easy stuff. I think it's _Metamorphosis_ this year." I scrunched up my face as Allison nodded a bit. The Vice Principal pushed the door open, stepping in before the two of us. I gave Allison and small smile as everyone looked up.

"Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Do your best to make her feel welcome." My eyes landed on Scott, who was staring at Allison. I licked my lips as Allison rocked back on her heels.

"Allison, there's a seat right there." Mr. Vrana pointed to the seat behind Scott. Allison looked at me and I motioned for her to go. I knew that was the seat Scott saved for me and I quickly scanned the room before my eyes fell on a seat. I felt my jaw click, but I moved over to the seat in front of Stiles.

"You've got to be kidding." I heard him mumble.

"Trust me, I didn't choose this." I whispered right back.

"I can literally smell all of the products and chemicals you use in your hair."

"At least I have hair." I shot back. Stiles leaned forward to argue back when I caught sight of Scott handing Allison a pen. Allison took it with a smile and Scott turned back around with a proud smile. I watched as Allison's reaction became puzzled, as if she didn't know why Scott had given her the pen.

"We'll begin with Kafka's _Metamorphosis _on page one thirty three." Mr. Vrana droned out. I looked to Scott, then to Allison before sliding down and turning around in my seat.

"Leah." Scott hissed out. I looked over to him with raised eyebrows, "Can I borrow a pen?" I rolled my eyes, but reached into my bag for another pen. I uncapped it and tore off a slip of paper, scribbling a message to Scott on it before sticking it in the clip of the pen and handing it to him. Scott unfolded the paper and read the message I wrote with a grin.

_Before you give the new girl your pen, make sure you have one for yourself. Dumbass. _

After English, I followed Scott to his locker, leaving Allison by herself, "Aren't you supposed to be showing her around?"

"I'm going by the _learning by doing_ teaching." I said with a shrug. "Like when momma birds just toss their baby birds out of the nest and hope they fly."

"You're such a bitch." Scott breathed out.

"I told you, it's all I know." I leaned against the locker next to his as he spun his combination, "And besides, what do you care?"

"I don't know." Scott shrugged, "It just seems rude."

"Well, welcome to the jungle." I said as Scott grabbed his textbook. He glanced at me with an unamused look. I sighed and looked away from the disappointed Scott and let my eyes wander.

"See? Look." I smacked Scott's arm, pointing to where Allison was standing, "She's _fine_. She did that all by herself." I gave him a grin as Scott looked over, his locker shutting. I watched as Allison looked over from her locker and gave Scott a smile. I felt my brow furrow as I looked in between the two.

"Oh no…" I started, only to be cut off by none other than,

"Awh did you realize that Santa isn't real?" Stiles came up to us with a pout in my direction. I made a face and opened my mouth to retort when some random came up to us.

"Can someone tell me how new girl has been here five minutes and she's already hanging out with Lydia's clique?" I leaned forward to see that the girl was right. Allison was ensnared in Lydia Martin's claws. I looked over to the girl and arched an eyebrow.

"Who the _fuck _are you?" I asked, "I literally have never seen you in my entire life."

"Cause she's hot." Stiles said over me.

"Oh, nice." I said, with an eye roll. "Way to judge based solely on appearances."

"It's true!" Stiles cried out, "Beautiful people hurt together." I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Then why aren't I over there?" I asked, leaning against the locker.

"Because you're a bitch." Stiles shrugged. I glared at him, "Name one person." He flailed a bit, "Name one person who you're nice to on a daily basis."

"Scott." I pointed to Scott. Scott looked over to us as if he was _just_ tuning into our argument.

"What?" Scott asked as the bell rang. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, we have Chemistry." I grumbled. I heard Stiles groan after realizing that we_ all_ had Chemistry together.

"Welcome to Chemistry." Harris droned out as the three of us came through the back door as the second bell rang. I headed over to the lab table with two empty seats. Stiles flopped down behind us with the random girl from the hall. I looked around to see that Jackson and Danny were also in our class along with a couple other people I had occasionally seen before. I nodded to myself as I shifted in my seat. I looked to Scott, who was doodling in his notebook.

"Please tell me you aren't writing _Scott Argent_ with hearts around it." I groaned a bit. Scott looked over at me, brow furrowed.

"No…I'm just doodling." Scott showed me the lines and random shapes he was drawing.

"Oh, okay." I was a little thrown and a made a face in return. Then I noticed he was still using my pen, "She never gave you your pen back, huh?" I asked, folding my arms on the table and leaning my face against them.

"Nope." Scott popped the _p. _"But it's okay. She needed a pen." I felt my brow furrow.

"How do you know that? She didn't even like say _Oh do you have a pen_?"

"Because I heard her talking to her mom about it."

"You what?" I asked, getting more and more confused.

"Miss Kane!" Mr. Harris shouted, making me jump and look at him, "Want to explain to me what our first lab experiment is going to be?"

"Uh, finding out how long it's been since you've gotten laid?" I asked, hearing Stiles snort behind me. Scott tried not to smile as Mr. Harris glared at me.

"I know, I know." I raised my hands in the air, "Principal's office. Got it." I gathered up my things and let out a sigh. "I'm gonna say three, maybe four years." I said as I plucked the paper from his hand. Mr. Harris just continued to glare at me. I nodded.

"Definitely four." I made a face and walked out of the class.

I walked down the empty hall, folding the slip into a little paper airplane as I walked. I let out a sigh and looked up to see Allison at the end, looking around a little bit lost, "Allison?" I asked, getting her attention. She looked to me and her face relaxed into an embarrassed smile.

"Hey, Leah." She said as I came up to her. "I'm so turned around."

"Well, what happened to Lydia and Jackson?"

"Jackson had Chemistry and Lydia had English…I'm supposed to be in French, but…"

"They ditched you." I stated with a nod.

"Yeah, I mean, no...I thought I could find it by…myself." She sighed and scratched her temple. I gave her a small smile.

"Hey, give me your schedule. You're probably not that far off at all." Allison nodded and reached into her jacket pocket for her schedule. She handed it to me and I unfolded it, going to second period.

"Oh, you're really far off." I mumbled. Allison groaned.

"I'm already late and it's only my first day." She blew out a breath.

"Morrell is pretty cool. She'll understand." I gave her an encouraging smile, "Come on, I'll walk you."

"Thanks." Allison laughed out a bit. I nodded, walking for the short set of stairs. Allison followed me, quiet as we walked.

"Hey." She said after a minute, "Are you, uh, going to Lydia's party?" She asked, looking at me. I let my mouth open a bit.

"Uh, maybe." I said, "It's for the lacrosse team and I don't know, it depends."

"Depends on what?" She asked, brow furrowing a bit.

"Depends on if I feel up to it." I said with a tight smile, "Lydia and I don't get along very well. Actually I don't really get along with anyone." I realized, looking up a bit as Allison laughed a little.

"Well, what about the guy you were standing with at the lockers? You look like you get along with him." Allison waggled her eyebrows, but there was something in her eyes that looked like disappointment. I chose to ignore the look, not feeling up to getting into a conversation about Scott, so instead I laughed a little and shook my head.

"Yeah, okay." I stopped in front of the French classroom. "This is your stop, Ally." I said, making a sweeping gesture with my arms, "Have fun."

"Thank you again." Allison smiled at me, "I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, remember morning, afternoon, early evening." I got a laugh from Allison. And then she nodded before opening the door to the classroom. I tapped my fists together and pulled my lips down, impressed with myself. I had done exactly what Scott asked. I hadn't been a total bitch and it was…weird.

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has favorited/followed this story! It blows my mind to see that you guys are interested in this. I really want to thank all those who reviewed; BrittWitt16, winchesterxgirl, Guest, a. Paper. heaRt, BlackBloodRose64, RHatch89, Cass, Valkyrie101, crossMIRAGE19, hinataonicha, and Guest! **_

_**I know some of you are like "Whaaaa-Tara's canonically not even white!" But I hope you guys can see past that because I have been waiting to do this for a while now, so yeah. Until next time! xxx**_


	3. Chapter 3

"Now, I'm impressed." The Vice Principal said as he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Twice in the same day." I shrugged and threw back another handful of M&Ms from Ms. Bennet's desk.

"What can I say?"

"And it seems that it's all because of a certain Chemistry teacher." He said, folding his hands in front of him. I stayed silent. "According to the slip, you weren't paying attention and then insulted his sex life."

"Or lack thereof." I mumbled under my breath as the Vice Principal slid the slip back to me.

"I have to say, Miss Kane, this is a new one for you. Especially considering your brother and all his achievements in this school." I looked up at him and felt my eyes narrow.

"Well, we aren't talking about my brother. We're talking about me, right?"

"Right." He sighed again, refolding his hands in front of him, "You know I'm going to have to do something about this."

"What? Detention for a week? Just lay it on me." I settled back against the chair.

"No lacrosse." The Vice Principal said with a little uptick of his chin. I felt my jaw drop.

"_Excuse me_?!" I shouted, pushing forward, "You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can, Miss Kane." The Vice Principal shrugged, "You've shown me that you obviously can't handle the responsibilities that come with being on the lacrosse team?"

"What?! This is total bullshit!" I slumped back in my seat, "You can't forbid me from trying out."

"And why not? You were late this morning, you ditched Allison, and then proceed to make crude sex jokes about Mr. Harris' sex life." He counted off each one with his fingers. I felt my jaw click and I looked away, shaking my head a bit.

"What am I supposed to do then?" I asked after a moment, looking back at him, "I've been practicing all summer. There are no _responsibilities _for the lacrosse team. All you have to do is show up, practice, show up to the games, and keep your GPA higher than a two point zero. And if you read from last year's transcript, I did all of that." I stared at the Vice Principal, "I'm sorry about Allison. I was wrong in ditching her just like I was wrong with Harris. But for the record, I showed Allison to her French class because she was so lost. If it wasn't for me she still probably be…" The Vice Principal cut me off with a look, "Please, _please _don't take away lacrosse." I licked my lips and sat back in my seat again for a moment, watching the Vice Principal.

When it became clear that he wasn't going to say anything, I reached down and picked up my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. I went for the door, but paused, looking over my shoulder at him with a hopeful expression. He stared at me for a moment before sighing.

"Fine." I let out a cheer, "But!" he stopped my cheering, "You are on probation. You can go to tryouts and I don't care how badly you whoop those boys' asses, you are on the bench until further notice." I weighed my options, making a face.

"Yes. Totally. Completely. One hundred percent." I bobbed my head, with a big grin. "Thank you thank you thank you!" I bounced on my toes.

"No more sex jokes." The Vice Principal pointed at me. I nodded again.

"Yes, sir." I saluted him before turning and hurrying out of his office before he could take back his decision. I ran around to the front of the counter and slammed my hands down. Ms. Bennet jumped and let out a little yelp. Then she looked up to me with a grin."I assume it went well."

"You assume correctly." I grinned at her, "Oh, Ms. Bennet, I'm so excited for this."

"Well, don't wait around here! Go! Go! Show them what you're made of." She shooed me away. I laughed and grabbed another handful of M&Ms.

"Bye, Ms. Bennet!" I waved to her as I went for the door.

I let the office door slam behind me as I picked at the M&Ms. I meandered down the hall, going down the steps as the bell rang. I was engulfed in fellow students as they all hurried to their lockers in order to get home a little bit faster. I went for the girls' locker room, dumping back the rest of the M&Ms and swiping my hand on my pants.

The girls' locker room was just as quiet as it was in the beginning of the day. No one used it unless there was a gym class going on. I wasn't allowed to get changed in the boys' locker room for obvious reasons. But I didn't really mind. I had a chance to be alone and gather my thoughts before going to the boys' locker room or out to the field.

I exchanged my regular bra for a sports bra and pulled on my under armor before shimming into my shorts. The shorts were longer, basketball type shorts and fell to my knees. I sat on the bench to pull on my socks and cleats. My helmet was at the bottom of the bag and I quickly braided my hair and flung it over my shoulder, pushing my baby hairs back with some hair tape. I tightened the knot on the hair tape before throwing my clothes into the bag.

The sound the locker door made when I slammed it shut echoed around the empty room. I grabbed my lacrosse stick and helmet, walking back out to the hall. The hallways were emptying, some going to the tryouts while others went for home. Lacrosse was a pretty big deal at Beacon Hills High, so it was no surprise that most kids followed me out to the field.

I climbed up the hill, spotting two familiar bodies. They were a little further ahead of me and got to the field before me. I let out a breath as my bag dropped from my hand, next to the bench.

"Ya ready?" I asked, planting my hands on my hips. Scott grinned at me while Stiles gave me the stink eye.

"Kane!" I heard the coach, Finstock, yell out. I looked up to see him storming over. The boys stepped back as he came over.

"What's up, Coach?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Wanna tell me why I was told to bench you?"

"Not really." I shrugged and made a face, "I'm just here to try out, Coach."

"Right. Well, you're first so….let's go!" He blew the whistle in my face. I grinned at him.

"My pleasure." I looked over to Scott, who gave me a thumbs up. Stiles still had that stink eye look on his face. "Watch and learn, boys." I said before pulling on my helmet. I jogged out to the center of the field, the rest of the players lining up behind me. I yanked my gloves up over my hands.

There were a few whistles and catcalls as I rolled the lacrosse stick in my hands. I smirked to myself as I looked around the bleachers. My eyes landed on Allison and Lydia climbing up to an empty bench.

"First tribute, eh?" I heard from behind me along with feeling the slap of someone's hand against my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder to see Danny smirking at me.

"Gotta set the bar low so we can feel better about ourselves." Jackson quipped as he walked by. My eyes narrowed.

"We'll see about that." I leaned back a bit. I could clearly see the grin on Danny's face through his helmet as he followed Jackson to the back of the line. I bobbed my head a bit before turning back around to face the goalie.

"You can do this, Leah." I heard a softer voice say from behind me. I spun back around to look at the person behind me.

"Who the fuck are you?" I asked, eyes squinting a bit.

"Uh, my—my name's Isaac." The kid responded. My eyes stayed as they were, the name not ringing a bell, "We have Math together." Still nothing.

"Kane!" Coach's voice made me turn back around. "We haven't got all day!"

"The princess just needs to make sure her manicure isn't ruined." Jackson said from behind me.

"Hey, Jackson, shut up!" I said, raising my eyebrows at him before turning and falling into a crouch. Then I realized that the goalie was Scott.

I straightened back up and looked at him for a moment, his stance looked ready, just like when we were practicing over the summer. So I blew out a breath and dropped back down. I looked from the ball to the goal. Then I kicked off into a run. I scooped up the ball in my cradle and ran a bit more before flicking my wrist and sending the ball flying, right to Scott.

The ball thwacked against Scott's helmet, making him stumble back. My eyes went wide and I brought my gloved hand to cover my mouth on instinct. There were laughs around the field as Scott shook his head, disorientated. I dropped my stick and ran over to the goal.

"I'm _so _sorry." I hurriedly said as I got to him.

"I'm fine."

"You looked ready!"

"I got distracted." Scott shook his head, "I'm okay, Leah." His eyes met mine. "Seriously." I stared at him, doubtful, before Finstock's whistle made me jump a bit.

"Kane! Get your ass out of the way!" I nodded and reached out to pat Scott's shoulder before drawing my hand back.

"Leah!" Finstock hollered.

"Okay! I'm going!" I put my hands up and turned away from Scott.

"Your boyfriend's fine, Kane!" One of the teammates called out as I walked back to where I dropped my stick. I grabbed it and rolled my eyes at the comment before going over to the bench. I pulled my helmet off and slumped onto the bench, letting my helmet drop to the ground as I yanked off my gloves for the time being.

"Nice going." Stiles mumbled out. I slammed my fist into his shoulder before remembering he was wearing pads.

"OW! Fuck!" I cried out, shaking my hand out. Stiles gave me a smirk. I used my other hand and quickly jabbed him in the throat, making him choke.

"Jesus!" He coughed out, making a noise. I smirked at him as I continued to shake my injured hand out.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked around to see Allison giving me a timid smile, "Hey, sorry. But, uh…is the goalie _really_ your boyfriend?" She asked. I stopped shaking my hand out and looked to Scott just in time to see him catch a ball. I was a little thrown, forgetting Allison's question as Scott caught another ball.

"Uh…." I started blinking as Scott caught yet _another _ball. "Holy shit." I whispered. And then I saw Jackson force his way to the front of the line, stopping the next player.

"Hold on." I held up a finger and watched intently as Jackson scooped up a ball and started running towards Scott. My eyes darted from Scott to Jackson then back to Scott as Jackson threw the ball to Scott.

Scott deftly caught it and a second later, cheers erupted from the crowd. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding in order to cheer for my best friend. "Yes!" I jumped to my feet, clapping my hands together. "Go, Scott!" I said, cupping my hands around my mouth. Stiles was cheering just as loud,

"That is my friend!"

"My friend too!" I yelled out. Stiles glared at me. I made a face back before returning my eyes to the field as Scott tossed the ball to the referee. I couldn't stop smiling as the cheers died down and the boys went off to do different drills for tryouts. I turned back around to Allison, a bit breathless from all the cheering.

"I'm sorry, what did you ask me?"

"I was wondering if the guy in the goal was your boyfriend." Allison gestured to where Scott had been standing moments before.

"Oh, uhm—"

"She doesn't go for guys, Allison." Lydia butted in. Allison's brow furrowed as she looked to Lydia and then back to me. I rolled my lips in and nodded to myself. Here we go.

"Oh! You're a lesbian?" Allison asked, eyebrows raising.

"No. No, I'm not." I shook my head, "No, but you see, around here, it's weird for girls to play sports. So Lydia and her lovely boyfriend decided to spread the whole _Leah Kane is a dyke!_ rumor because I kicked Jackson's ass at last year's tryouts and he's still bitter." I said, eyes narrowing to Lydia.

"And yet, you _aren't _captain are you?" Lydia asked, making a face. I rolled my eyes and stepped back.

"_Scott_ isn't my boyfriend." I pointed my helmet at Allison. I threw my arms out as I walked backwards for a moment before turning around and jogging out to the field.

After running around the field and doing drills for another hour, Coach let us go with a reminder about the elimination round on Friday I jogged over to the side bench, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. I winced a bit. I was sore from all the drills and getting knocked down multiple times. Plus, I needed a shower. Badly.

"Hey, Stiles and I were gonna go out and look for my inhaler." Scott breathed out as he packed up his gear. I glanced over to him, just taking notice of the fact that he hadn't had his inhaler the entire time.

"Wait, you lost your inhaler?" I asked, standing up a bit straighter, "Scott, how are you still standing?"

"I'm fine." Scott shrugged, "I don't feel winded or anything."

"You needed your inhaler after you climbed to my room." I stared at him, "And that's like three feet."

"Leah, I'm good. I feel great." Scott bounced on his toes as I eyed him warily.

"So why do you need to go searching for your inhaler if you've been miraculously cured?" I asked, hiking my duffel on my shoulder.

"Because the thing's like eighty bucks." Scott said as if I were stupid.

"Ah, right." I lifted my chin up and nodded, "Meh, I don't know." I shrugged, "I need a shower first. So, I'll text you?"

"Good job out there today." Scott nodded at me, "And I forgive you. For the whole hitting me in the head thing."

"That was partially your fault." I pointed my lacrosse stick at him, "So…I forgive you." Scott grinned at me.

I felt someone shove themselves between the two of us and was forcefully moved to the side as Stiles stepped up, "Dude!" He looked to Scott, "You were incredible." Scott grinned to himself and looked down.

"Leah was pretty good too." Scott looked to me.

"Eh." Stiles shrugged, "But those saves!" Stiles laughed, "So making first line." He grinned at Scott before patting his shoulder again and running off.

"Idiot." I rolled my eyes. "He barely made it through the sprints." Scott laughed as we got to the locker rooms.

"But he sure enjoyed knocking you down during two on ones." Scott pointed out.

"Oh, really? I had no clue." I made a face as Scott rolled his eyes.

"You had just as much fun blocking him."

"Never got him to the ground." I grumbled. Scott shook his head and patted my shoulder. He bid me goodbye and we went our separate ways; I went into the girls' locker room while Scott went into the boys'.

I stripped out of my gear and pulled off my clothes, letting them drop into a pile as I turned on the crappy locker room shower. I stepped under the low pressured showerhead and let the dirt wash off my body from being knocked down countless times. I could take some of the boys when they hit me, but Jackson and Stiles both got the most joy from knocking me to my ass as often as they could. Hurt like hell, but didn't stop me.

Lacrosse was a sport I got into because my brother played it. Connor was the star lacrosse player all throughout high school. I would practice with him when I was younger, Scott right next to me. Connor taught us everything we knew. And then I basically begged my parents to let me practice with him. They were wary, as all parents should be, but eventually gave in after I gave a presentation about why I should be allowed to play. Yeah, I was _that _kid.

And when we hit high school, I tried out for the team. There was no rule against it because there wasn't a gender specific noun in front of _lacrosse_. It was just _lacrosse._ There was nothing anyone could do but be annoyed. Coach didn't care, he just wanted a full team. The other guys were wary at first, just like my parents. They wouldn't hit me as hard until I hit them first and once they saw that I could match them and even started beating a few of them during sprints and other drills, they became a little more tougher. I liked the challenge.

But I only made second line in freshman year with Scott and, unfortunately, Stiles. We went to every practice and every game, just in case the team needed more players. They didn't. I didn't even step on the field for a game in freshman year. But this year was going to be different, until I got put on probation for making fun of the lack of sex Mr. Harris receives…or doles out.

I finished showering and pulled on my clothes that I wore throughout the day. I repacked my bag and grabbed my skateboard from the locker before heading out to the empty hallway. Everyone had gone home, except for some of the lacrosse guys.

I managed to rearrange my backpack and my duffel back on my body like I had them earlier in the morning. I set my board down and stepped on, pushing off with my other foot and skating down the hallway. It was a smoother ride than I was used to and it was nice to just glide along without angling to avoid cars or sticks or other harmful things of nature.

Except for the one of the most harmful things Mother Nature ever created. I turned the corner, only to collide with Stiles. I slammed into him as he came out of the boys' bathroom, a towel around his waist. He went down, myself on top of him.

"Oh my God!" He shouted as I scrambled off of him.

"Why are you in a towel!?" I shouted back, shielding my eyes with my hand on instinct as I pushed back on my butt to get away from him. I had seen him in swim trunks before, but somehow him being in just a towel made it worse.

"Why are you skateboarding down the hall?!"

"I'm trying to go home!" I stomped my foot, still on the ground. "Do you just walk around the school in your towel!? Is that like a hobby?"

"No! What? No!" Stiles sputtered. My hand was still on my eyes.

"Lying liar who lies." I sang out, "Just give me my board. I don't really want to hear how you jack off in the boys' room." I waved my other hand out, "And don't put your dick on it or spit on it or whatever cause I'll shove it up your ass."

"Oh wow, real mature." Stiles said and I could tell he was making a face. I felt the board in my hand and I scrambled to my feet.

"You're the one walking around school in a towel." I shot back. I moved to the side and took a step forward, waving my board out to make sure Stiles wasn't standing in front of me. "Idiot." I grumbled as I took a few steps forward.

"You're the one skateboarding inside." Stiles mumbled. I dropped my hand from my eyes so I could flip him off over my shoulder.

I set the board back down and pushed off, going down to the exit as I shook my head, trying to get rid of the image of Stiles in a towel. I kicked off my board and pushed open the double doors to see that Scott had already left. I let out a breath, realizing it was sort of my fault because I never asked Scott to wait for me. I hurried down the steps and got back on my board, skating towards home.

Classical music welcomed me as I walked through the front door, which meant one thing. Dad was home and cooking. I glanced at my phone, seeing it was almost five. I maneuvered out of my bags, letting them drop to the floor as Webster scampered up to me. I reached down to pick him up, walking into the kitchen as I scratched behind his ears.

"Lele!" Dad cheered as I walked in, "How were tryouts?" I put Webster down and went around to where Dad was mixing up something. He kissed my cheek as I walked up next to him to survey the salad.

"Good." I nodded, picking out a crouton. "Really good, actually. But I don't think I'm going to make first line."

"And why is that?" Dad asked, swatting at my hand as I reached for a cucumber.

"Uh, because I may have been put on probation." I said, closing an eye. Dad gave me a look as he flipped over the chicken he was marinating.

"For what?"

"Oh nothing. You know, the usual." I made a face as I bit into the cucumber, "Insulted a teacher's sex life, was late to homeroom…ditched a new girl…"

"You ditched a new girl?" Dad asked, pausing in his actions, "Were you supposed to show this girl around?"

"Yeah, maybe." I shrugged. Dad gave me a look. I innocently reached for another cucumber, "What?" I asked to his look, "You know I'm not good with people." Dad shook his head and I popped the cucumber into my mouth.

"Leah, I thought we—"

"Can we _please_ not talk about this?" I asked, folding my arms on the counter. Dad gave me a look. I sighed, "Mom home?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Soon." Dad went with it, going back to his chicken.

"Don't marinate hers remember?" I reminded him. Dad gave me a thumbs up and nodded. "Also, don't make me any, I'm going out with Scott to look for his inhaler that he dropped last night." I said as I picked Webster back up.

"Mom said you said Scott wasn't there." Dad raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say _where_ we were going to look for it." I said, making a face. Dad tried not to smile at me.

"Be careful." Dad said, going back to cooking dinner.

"Always am." I grinned at him before turning on my toe and walking from the kitchen.

"And make sure you put your lacrosse stuff out to air!" Dad yelled after me.

"Got it!" I yelled back, going to the front hall to get my duffel. I slung it over my shoulder and went to the kitchen door, still cradling Webster. I dropped my bag and set Webster down so he could sniff at the plants. I laid out my gear on the porch, propping my lacrosse stick up against the railing.

"Let's go, buddy." I mumbled out before picking Webster back up. I went inside, shutting the door behind me. I walked back through the kitchen as Dad's classical music played and he hummed along. I smiled to myself as I walked up the stairs to my room.

I nudged my bedroom door open with my hip and looked up, only to jump in surprise. Scott was swinging in my cage swing, texting on his phone. I let Webster down to the ground, "Jesus, Scott." I breathed out, getting his attention.

"Sorry, the window was open. I just got here." Scott pushed out of the swing and went over to pet Webster. Webster hissed at Scott, baring his teeth before scampering under the bed. Scott and I shared a look before I dropped to my knees, going over to my bed.

"Webster?" I asked out, pulling up the bed sham. I looked under to see Webster curled in a ball, staring at me. "Web, it's just Scott."

"Hey, buddy." Scott cooed as he dropped down next to me. Webster hissed again and lunged for Scott. Scott barely had time to pick his head up as Webster shot out from under the bed.

"What the fuck?" I whispered, getting to my feet. Scott did the same, except he stayed where he was while I moved towards my cat.

"Webster." I cooed before making a little noise and rubbing my fingers together, "Webster, come here, buddy. It's just Scott." I managed to corner Webster and pick him up in my arms. I turned to Scott and grinned as I scratched Webster behind his ears. "Just Scott." Scott came up a bit closer, reaching out to pet Webster. In response, Webster wrenched out of my grasp, meowing over and over before hissing and scratching me to let him go.

"Webster! What the fuck, dude!" I cried out as I dropped him. Webster didn't even look back as he scurried out of the room. I looked to Scott, who looked crestfallen.

"Wonder what got in his catnip." I mumbled as I went over to my bed, rubbing my hand where Webster scratched me.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked, coming to sit next to me. I showed him my hand and shrugged.

"Not the worst of my wounds from today. I have blossoming bruises from a certain Spazz." I sighed and slumped down. Scott gave me a small smile and looked to the door where Webster disappeared.

"I wonder why he did that." Scott mumbled.

"So weird." I agreed.

Scott and Webster had always had a pretty good relationship. Scott had come with me when I got Webster and more times than once had I found Scott cuddling with Webster, even falling asleep with him once or twice. They were buddies, so it was supremely strange for Webster to be acting out at Scott and scratching me.

"Are you coming with us?" Scott asked after a moment. I looked over to him and scrunched up my face.

"As much as I _love_ Stiles…" I trailed off. Scott gave me a small smile and looked away. I looked from Scott to the door and then back before sighing. "I'll come."

"Really?" Scott brightened up a bit. I nodded and pushed off the bed.

"Yeah. God knows Stiles won't help you find it."

"Hey…!" Scott started before slumping down and choosing not to fight. Then he rolled his head back and got off his bed, "He's coming over in five. He's a little late because something happened at school when he was trying to get changed."

"Oh, yeah, that was me." I nodded. Scott fixed me with a look.

"Please tell me you didn't soak his clothes in the shower again."

"Damn. I forgot to do that this year." I made a face and fell back on my foot, "No. Not this time. I just sorta…" I made a motion with my hands, making it so my two hands were coming at each other before slamming into each other and I made a sound effect as my two hands collided, "Awwhh." I said as my hands fell apart.

"And he was in a towel, so that was awkward." I shoved my hands into my pockets, pulling my lips in. "Anyway, let's go." I waved my hand to motion for Scott to follow me. I walked out of my room and went down the stairs, Scott following me.

"Dad, Scott and I are going." I said, sticking my head into the kitchen.

"Hey, Mr. Kane." Scott waved from behind me. Dad lifted his wine glass in the air at Scott.

"Scott." He took a sip, "How many times have I told you to call me Drew?"

"I don't know. A lot." Scott shrugged. Dad chuckled.

"Be home in an hour." Dad pointed at me. I nodded, giving him a thumbs up. I had work in an hour and a half. I was sure it wouldn't take more than an hour to find Scott's inhaler and get home.

There was an incessant amount of beeping to announce Stiles' arrival. I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath only to open them and find Dad trying to hide his smile behind his wine glass. I rolled my eyes and spun around, stomping off to the door.

"Bye, Scott." I heard Dad say as I rummaged through my backpack to find my phone. There was a stream of texts from Stiles telling me not to come and how much I sucked at tryouts with a lone one about our encounter and then one about how I disgust him. Typical.

"He's gonna blow his horn out." I muttered as Stiles kept beeping. Scott came up to me and opened the front door. I followed him out to where Stiles' Jeep waited. I could clearly see him pressing down on the horn over and over again.

"Would it kill him to be less annoying?" I grumbled as Scott pulled the passenger side door open. The beeping ceased as Scott slammed his door and I opened mine. I barely had time to shut the car door because Stiles decided to slam his foot down on the gas and shoot forward.

"Fucking ridiculous." I sighed as I braced myself. I looked to see Stiles' smirk in the mirror as he drove to the preserve. I slumped against my seat and scrolled through my phone as Scott and Stiles talked about where exactly Scott lost his inhaler.

The drive was short and it was luckily still light out when we got to the preserve. I hopped out of the Jeep and shoved my hands into my pockets as I ambled after the boys. They had moved onto the lacrosse tryouts, talking about Scott's performance.

"I think you should just go for goalie." I said, making a face as I hopped onto a fallen tree log, "I mean, you caught every shot."

"Except for yours." Scott said, shooting a grin over his shoulder.

"That's because I think Barbie was maybe _aiming _for your head." Stiles made a motion with his hand, "I'm telling ya dude, she's out to get you."

I shoved Stiles, making him stumble a bit as he laughed at me, "Shut up, Spazz. You weren't even that good."

"I'm not trying out for first line. I am perfectly okay with sitting on the sidelines." Stiles pointed to himself. I rolled my eyes. "But I did enjoy knocking you to the ground. That was fun." He bobbed his head.

"And I will enjoy watching you sit on the bench during Saturday's game while I score the winning goal." I shot back.

"No, ya won't!" Stiles sputtered out, "Probation. Remember?" I made a face as I jumped through the shallow creek.

"Whatever. I can still watch Scott and his amazing overnight abilities that seem to just have _appeared_." I waved my hands around in the air.

"Yeah, man, what was up with that?" Stiles asked as he stomped through the creek after Scott. "I mean, it was awesome, don't get me wrong…"

"I don't know what it was. It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball. And I can hear, see and smell things that I usually wouldn't be able to."

"You can smell things? Like what?" Stiles asked, following behind Scott. I pushed a lone branch aside and looked over my shoulder as Scott turned to face Stiles.

"Like the three day old mint mojito gum in your pocket." Scott said. Stiles furrowed his brow and stopped walking.

"I don't have any-" Stiles reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of gum, "Huh." Stiles said before shaking it off and unwrapping it.

"Oh please don't…" I started, but Stiles popped the gum into his mouth and chewed. I made a face as Scott turned back around to keep walking.

"And you can hear things like Allison talking to her mom?" I asked as Scott ambled up to me.

"Yeah, she was on the phone with her. That's how I knew she needed a pen." Scott said. I felt my brow furrow.

"Maybe it was whatever bit you." I shrugged as Stiles pushed in between me and Scott.

"What if it's like an infection? Like my body is flooding with adrenaline right before I go into shock or something?" Scott looked at me, leaning forward a bit with wide eyes full of worry. Stiles put his hand out to stop us from walking any further.

"You know what? I actually think I've heard of this." Stiles said, "It's a specific kind of infection." Scott stopped and looked at Stiles. I gave Stiles a look. He was being his usual sarcastic shit and Scott sometimes, almost always, never caught on until it was too late.

"Are you serious?" Scott asked, right on cue. Stiles smirked, hands on his hips

"Yeah, I think it's called _lycanthropy_." Stiles bobbed his head in a nod. I looked to Scott, crossing my arms over my chest. He probably had now clue what lycanthropy even was.

"What's that? Is that bad?" Scott asked, confirming my assumptions.

"Scott, it's—" I started to reassure Scott that Stiles was just being a little shit, but Stiles placed his hand over my mouth.

"Oh yeah. It's the worst. But only once a month." I licked Stiles' palm, making him drop it from my mouth.

"Once a month?" Scott asked, _still _not getting it.

"On the night of the full moon." Stiles said. Scott furrowed his brow. Then Stiles let out a howl. Scott promptly shoved him and continued to walk through the forest.

"Idiot." I said, looking to Stiles and following my best friend.

"Hey! You're the one who heard a wolf howling." Stiles said, holding his hands up and coming after us.

"Yeah, but there could be something seriously wrong with me!" Scott cried out.

"I know! You're a werewolf!" Stiles cried out, falling behind Scott as he walked. Stiles growled and made his hands into claws.

"Scott, don't listen to him." I said, shaking my head, "Obviously it has nothing to do with the bite and it's probably just like an adrenaline rush or something." My phone started to buzz in my pocket, causing me to stop walking.

"Let's move it along, Barbie. We got inhalers to find." Stiles said from behind me. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone to see Connor was calling.

"I'll catch up." I said, flashing the phone to Scott so he could see Connor's name. He nodded to me.

"It's right around here, I swear." He nodded again. I gave him a small smile as I answered the call and placed my phone to my ear as the boys started away.

"_Hey, sis!" _Connor said before I even said hello.

"Hey, Connor." I smiled to myself, going over to lean against a tree.

"_How were tryouts?" _

"They went really well. You should've seen Scott though. He was like twenty times better than when we were practicing in the summer."

"_So you're both making first line then._" I pulled in my bottom lip. I didn't want to tell Connor about the probation, he would just overreact and yell at me.

"Well, that's the goal." I finally said.

"_Well, that's great! I'm really proud of you, Leah." _Connor paused, "_So tell me everything. How was Stiles? And what his face, Jackson?"_

"Both hit me pretty hard, but Stiles is going to be second line and Jackson's still captain."

"_For now. Did you hit them back?"_

_ "_Tried to." I smiled to myself. I looked out to where the boys had disappeared to; I didn't want to get too far behind them, "Hey, Con, I gotta go. We're looking for Scott's inhaler. And Stiles practically dragged Scott away from me to like lose me in the woods probably." I exaggerated a bit.

"_Be careful." _Connor reminded me, "_And get out of there before dark. I don't need you to be the next body found."_

_ "_We will." I nodded to myself, "Later."

"_Bye._"

I hung up with Connor and started my trek through the woods to find Scott and Stiles. As much as I loved my brother, he was Mom's son, while I was Dad's daughter. Connor was so much more like Mom than I was, always being protective and making sure everyone was safe and on time. Dad and I were never on time, a bit more street smart rather than book smart like Connor and Mom.

In my family, the roles were sort of twisted; Dad did most of the cooking, he did the laundry—because he was the only one who knew how to fold the shirts correctly, and helped out the most with cleaning. Mom was almost always at the station, working with the Sheriff and she popped in when she could for dinner. But it was a little unordinary to have both your parents in Beacon Hills. At least, the few people I knew were from single parent families; Scott's mom divorced his dad, Stiles' mom had passed away and Lydia's parents divorced in eighth grade. The only other person that I knew with two parents was Jackson. But he was also adopted so I wasn't sure how much that counted since his real parents were dead.

"Look who decided to show up fifteen minutes late." Stiles mockingly said as I found the boys. They were walking towards me, "Did you bring Starbucks?"

"Did you find your inhaler?" I asked, ignoring Stiles' crack as I directed my question to Scott.

"Yep." Scott opened his palm to reveal his inhaler all in one piece.

"Did you use it yet?" I asked, looking up at Scott.

"Nah, I'm good." Scott made a face, "Come on, I'm gonna be late to work." I let my eyes dart over to Stiles for a quick second to see he had an uneasy look on his face. But then he noticed me looking and the expression was replaced by raised eyebrows and wide eyes.

"What? You finally realizing my godlike physique?" He asked. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"If you're a god then you must be Hades." I shot back.

"Ruler of the underworld? Sure." Stiles easily shrugged and walked past me, "Let's go, peasants!"

"I hate him." I said through gritted teeth as Stiles walked away from us. Scott snorted.

"No, you don't." He said before walking after Stiles. I was a bit taken aback. Scott usually just murmured his agreement or didn't say anything.

"What's that supposed to mean!" I shouted after him as I stomped through the woods, "Scott!"

Scott forced Stiles to drop me off at work first and Stiles begrudgingly obliged, seeing that it was on the way to Scott's job at the vet. I was a little early, for once, and I went over to the corner store to grab a drink. A light rain had started as I hurried over to _VIDEO 2K _to work the five hour night shift.

As the only movie rental store in town, I would think it would be busier, but there were only two other people, one in the morning and another guy who worked with me at night. All I did was sit behind the desk and do homework, checking someone out once in a while the other guy, Jack, did shelving and stuff. Sometimes we switched, depending on the night and how hung over he still was from his night before. It was a boring job, but it paid well so I wasn't complaining. Plus I got to pick what movie played on the televisions.

I walked through the aisles, going for the horror section as I ripped a Twizzler in half. I chewed on one half as I reached for the classic _Wolfman. _Stiles' words from the conversation in the woods, echoed in the back of my mind. I didn't linger on them, figuring he was just being a dumbass, as I put the DVD in the player, the opening credits starting as I walked back behind the counter.

I didn't have time to stop home—nor would Stiles have agreed to stop back at my house before, so I didn't have my school work with me. Which meant I was stuck with nothing to do behind a counter for five hours. At least I picked a good movie.

The bell above the door dinged as someone walked into the store. I didn't even look up from my phone as I bit down on another Twizzler. I didn't have to do anything until the person came up to the front to check out. Which was inevitable.

"Leah?" I heard a familiar voice ask. I looked up to see Allison smiling at me, "I didn't know you worked here."

"How could you? You _just_ moved here." I said back with a tight smile. Allison nodded at me.

"Right. Yeah." She laughed a little, "Sorry." I shrugged as she handed me her movie.

"Did _not_ take you for an action movie girl." I said, making a face. Allison laughed again.

"Yeah, most people don't." She fell silent as I scanned the movie and waited for the price to come up. "I didn't take you for a lacrosse player."

"Yeah, most people don't." I repeated her statement giving her another tight smile, "It's gonna be three dollars." I said, handing her the movie as she handed me the money.

"Hey, Leah?" Allison asked as I placed her money in the register. I raised my eyebrows, indicating for her to continue. "About the whole thing today at the lacrosse tryouts."

"What thing?" I asked, looking up at Allison. She became nervous as I stared at her. I knew exactly what she was talking about, "Oh, you mean the lesbian thing." I nodded at her, "Right."

"I—I just wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to offend you or anything cause it's totally cool if you are a lesbian, but you said you weren't so I—I'm just gonna stop talking." Allison's face was red as she looked away from me. I laughed a bit.

"Ally, it's cool. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Allison gave me an embarrassed smile.

"You'd think I'd be better at this." Allison mumbled. I gave her a small smile.

"Kinda hard for me too. I'm sorry I ditched you today. I'm not…good with people."

"No, you're not." Allison laughed at me. I was a little taken aback by her frankness, but quickly got over it.

"Thanks for your honesty." I said, eyebrows quickly raising as Allison smiled at me. "And about Scott…I, uh, think you should go for it."

"Oh, no, I don't—"

"Ally." I fixed her with a look, "Scott's a good guy. He's my best friend and honestly, you can't really do much better in this town." I shrugged, "I'd date him, but I've seen some unfavorable things."

"Like what?" Allison asked, eyebrows raising.

"I'd tell ya, but then I'd have to kill you cause Scott would _kill me_ if I told you." I said with a small smile. Allison laughed a bit.

"Right, gotcha." Allison nodded, "I'll see you in school tomorrow?"

"If I survive this shift." I sighed. Allison smiled at me and then looked to the television.

"Well, at least you have _Wolfman_ to keep you company."

"Is it still raining out there?" I asked. Allison nodded and I made a face. Allison laughed a bit at my reaction before shaking her head.

"You did really well at tryouts today." Allison gave me a small smile.

"Awh, thanks, Ally." I grinned at her, "Now I just gotta get through the elimination round and then I'll pray."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed." Allison smiled at me, "Thanks for the movie."

"Thanks for distracting me for a bit."

"Anytime." Allison nodded at me, "Have a good night."

"You too." Allison turned away and a moment later I heard the door chime again to signal Allison's exit. And once again, I was alone with the Wolfman.

* * *

_**A/N: So fun fact of the day, I changed Tara's FC because honestly I am sick of all the hate I've gotten over it. So, you're welcome. And thank you to all the people who have favorited/followed this story, and I want to thank all the people who took time to review it (good or bad reviews); a. Paper. heaRt, BrittWitt16, RHatch89, XShipperGrlx (*waggles eyebrows* hell yeah), CourtneyxWolf725, winchestersgirl, Guest and Guest. Thank you all! It means so much to see your responses and reactions to the chapter. So keep 'em up! xxx**_


	4. Chapter 4

Friday morning, there was a splash from outside that worked as my alarm instead of my actual alarm. I squeezed my eyes shut before opening them, only to see Webster staring intently back at me. I lifted my head a bit and untangled my arms from the covers to move him off of my body.

"Sorry, Webster, can't eat me today." I said as I placed him next to me in order to sit up in bed. I pushed out of bed as I heard Dad's voice,

"LEAH!"

It sounded like he was outside so I climbed back on my bed and slid the massive window open, sticking my head out, "I put my gear out, Dad!" I whined.

Dad was watering the plants that were littered around the deck, but his back was to me, focused on the pool.

"Dad! What is it?" I called down. Dad looked over his shoulder at me and then looked to the pool. I followed his line of vision to see Scott bobbing in the middle of the pool.

"Scott?" I called out, brow furrowing.

"Morning!" He waved at me. I pulled my head in and closed the window. I scrambled off of my bed and quickly hurried down the stairs.

"Morning, honey." Mom said as I ran through the kitchen, "What's going on?" She asked, following me.

"Scott's in the pool!" I cried out as I opened the back door. "Scott? What are you doing?" I hurried past Dad and went to the edge of the pool, wrapping my arms around my middle as I crouched down. Scott swam over to me.

"I—I have no idea." Scott looked bewildered, "I think I slept walked." My brow furrowed.

"Honey, get him out of the pool." Mom said from behind me. "You two have school." I nodded as I looked over my shoulder at my parents.

"Come on." I stuck out my hand, "Don't pull me in. I can't swim." I reminded him.

"Still?" Scott asked, raising his eyebrows. "Dude, why do you even have this pool?"

"In case my neighbor decides to take an early morning swim." I grinned at him as I helped him out of the pool.

"Here." Dad handed me a towel which I promptly wrapped around Scott's shoulders.

"You can borrow some of Connor's clothes." I said as Scott tightened the towel around himself. He nodded and we walked inside. I stopped at the kitchen while Scott went up to bathroom. A few seconds later, I heard the shower turn on.

"Always thought Stiles was the sleepwalker." Mom mused as she came back into the kitchen.

"Stiles was a sleepwalker?" I asked, brow furrowing. Mom nodded as I sat on one of the stools. There was a file folder on the counter, which I dragged over with my finger so it was sitting in front of me.

"Nice try." Mom said with a grin as she snatched the folder from me. She turned away and placed it by the sink before continuing to cut up the berries.

"Are those organic?" I asked, leaning forward to see. Mom nodded again, "And you took the multi vitamins?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow as Mom sighed.

"It's like you're the one having the baby, not me." Mom said, looking at me. I made a face.

"Sorry. I'm just wondering. You're six months and barely showing." I said, sitting back, "Does the sheriff even know?"

"Yes, he knows, Leah." Mom shook her head and went back to slicing up the berries, "And besides, I didn't show with either you or Connor so it's not abnormal. I know what I'm doing, Leah."

"Well, you're also old so…" Mom gasped and chucked a strawberry at me. I dodged it with a laugh as Mom's cell rang. She reached for it and I leaned over to take a berry as she answered.

"Hey, Sheriff." Mom said as I sat back down on the stool, "Yep. Got it right here…" She turned to the folder that was resting by the sink, "Yeah, wolf hairs…." My ears perked up at that. I sat up a bit straighter and tried to make it look like I wasn't listening.

"Right, well we can't ID the body until we get the other half…I'll put out calls to animal control." Mom glanced over to me and I looked down at my hands as she ended the call. I quickly slid off the stool and went to walk out of the kitchen when Mom stopped me.

"You didn't hear any of that." Mom said, making me turn to see that she had the knife pointed at me.

"Heard what? That there were wolf hairs on the body?" I made a face and scoffed, "Of course not."

"Leah…" Mom started.

"Mom, I won't tell anyone." I held up my hands, "No one cares." Mom gave me a _yeah right_ look before waving the knife at me.

"Go get dressed." She stopped waving the weapon at me and went back to cutting up the rest of the berries. I spun on my toe and went for the stairs, going into my room as Scott came out of the bathroom. He gave me a small smile as he went into Connor's room.

I shut my door and went over to my closet, pulling out a shirt and a jacket before grabbing a pair of worn in jeans and some workout clothes for the elimination round, shoving them into my duffel. My pads and such were still outside, airing out like Dad had asked. I grabbed my backpack and my duffel, slipping into a pair of Adidas as I walked out of my room.

"I just gotta grab my bag before we go." Scott said as he met me in the hall. I nodded and gave him an _okay_ sign with my fingers.

"Hey, guess what?" Scott asked as we ambled down the stairs. I looked over my shoulder at him, arching my eyebrow and silently telling him to continue, "I asked Allison to Lydia's party on Friday." He had a massive grin on his face. I stopped walking, turning on the stairs and putting my hand out.

"Hold on, you did what?" I asked, rolling forward.

"Asked Allison to Lydia's party." Scott slowly said as if I were dumb. I shook my head, eyes wide, smile wider.

"No you didn't." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Yes, I _did_." Scott rolled forward onto his toes, "I'm picking her up tonight."

"How did this even happen?" I asked, turning back around and going down the stairs.

"Well, it involved a dog and the word _litigious_."

"Do you even know what that word means?" I asked as I got to the foot of the stairs. Scott rolled his eyes.

"_Yes_, Leah." Scott shook his head. I put my hands up and made a face as Scott walked by me.

"Just making sure." I paused, "How exactly did you use it? Can you give me the definition?" I asked following after him, "How about some synonyms?"

Mom and Dad were just finishing up eating as Scott and I came into the dining room, "Hey, we're leaving." I said as Scott and I went over to the table. I grabbed a pancake and loaded it up with berries and a piece of sausage before slapping another pancake on it. I handed it to Scott and made one up for myself.

"I'm sorry about earlier." Scott apologized to Mom and Dad.

"It's okay, Scott." Mom gave him a motherly smile, "I'm just glad you woke up. Can't have you drowning before Saturday's game! Leah says you're gonna make first line."

"Today's elimination so we'll find out." I said, glancing and elbowing Scott, who grinned a little bit.

"Good luck, guys." Dad raised his coffee mug at us. I grabbed Scott's arm and dragged him out through the kitchen. He let the back door slam behind him as I went over to grab my pads and my lacrosse stick. I shoved them into my bag while trying to hold onto my pancake sandwich. I managed quite gracefully and grabbed my board from where it was resting.

"Leggo." I said, heading for Scott's house, "Get your stuff and then tell me why in holy hell you were in my pool this morning."

"I told you! I don't know!" Scott raised his shoulders, obviously just as confused as I was, "I was sleeping one moment and then was in the woods the next."

"What the fuck is happening to you, dude?" I asked as I bit into the sandwich.

"I have no idea." Scott sighed out and rubbed his temple, "And I was at work yesterday and remember what happened with Webster?" He asked. I held up my scratched hand.

"Vividly." I dryly said.

"It happened again! I went to feed the cats and I went in and all of them started _hissing _at me." Scott had this bewildered expression on his face like he couldn't believe it happened to him. We climbed up the porch and he walked into his house as I stayed on the porch. I continued to eat my sandwich as I waited for Scott to come back outside.

"Leah!" I heard Mrs. McCall say from behind me. I turned around, pancake falling out of my mouth.

"Oh, shit—I mean, shoot." I caught myself with an embarrassed laugh, "Sorry, Mrs. McCall."

"Not the worst I've heard come out of your mouth." Mrs. McCall pointed at me. I felt my face flush as she nicely laughed at me.

"Waiting for Scott?" The nurse asked. I nodded and glanced into the house.

"How was your shift?" I lamely asked back, trying to make conversation with her. I was never good with adults. They freaked me out. Plus they didn't really like me either; no one wanted their kid hanging out with a girl who cusses and plays dirty.

"Good. Long. I'm going to go watch all of my DVR." Mrs. McCall laughed. I laughed a bit with her. We lapsed into a silence as I awkwardly stood there, eating my pancake sandwich. Mrs. McCall looked me over before nodding to herself.

"Well, it was good to see you, Leah." She said, taking in a breath. I nodded and tried to say something, but my mouth was full.

"You ready?" Scott asked, thankfully saving me. I nodded again and waved goodbye to Mrs. McCall, who gave me a nod as I followed Scott down the steps to the sidewalk.

"Oh my God, your mom hates me." I said as I set my board down.

"She doesn't hate you." Scott instantly replied back, "I think you make her nervous. I could hear her heart beating like crazy. And in the movies that really only happens when someone's nervous-"

"I'm sorry what?" I asked, glancing at him, "Is this still happening? All the heightened senses?"

"Yeah." Scott nodded, "And I have _no idea_ why."

"You said a wolf bit you, right?" I asked as I skated around a pothole. Scott nodded. I let myself think back to what I had heard Mom talking about on the phone.

"My mom said—" I stopped myself, remembering that she didn't want me to say anything. I fell silent, Scott looked at me.

"Your mom said what?" He asked.

"Hmm?" I asked back, trying to play it off.

"You said your mom said…and then you just stopped."

"Oh! Yeah! My mom said that your mom is…one of her favorite…nurses at the hospital…" I lied, making it up as I went along. Scott stared at me and I stared back. Scott broke away first, his brow furrowing a bit before relaxing.

"Oh, okay, yeah…" Scott took in a breath, "Yeah. How is your mom?"

"Good." I nodded, relived that we had moved on. "She thinks she has this down pat, but it's been like sixteen years since she's had a kid so…"

"It's weird, right?" Scott crinkled up his nose, "I mean you're sixteen years older than your unborn sibling."

"Let's not talk about it." I raised a hand as we got to the parking lot.

"Think about it, he—or she, will be like super young when you get married."

"But think how Connor feels." I pointed to Scott, "He's what? Twenty?"

"That's so weird." Scott made a face, "But I think it's gonna be good." Scott bobbed his head as we went over to the bike rack.

"We'll see." I sighed. "Let's just focus at the task at hand. The elimination round." Scott nodded as he hiked up his backpack. We walked in silence as we headed towards the school.

Most parents buy a car or a beach house when they hit their midlife crisis. Not my parents. They decided to have another kid. I don't really know how well it was decided, but one morning Mom was fine and the next she was puking up her breakfast and calling in sick for the first time in like, ages. And six months later, here we were. I was about to be a big sister.

I was a little nervous about the baby. I was always the younger one, being given advice, not giving it. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I was going to mess up this baby big time. So I was trying to get Mom to be extremely healthy during her pregnancy, all organic stuff, vitamins, minimal junk food and stuff like that. I did research, a lot of research, and went to all the doctors' appointments until Mom kicked me out and told me to stop worrying. I wasn't worried. Okay, maybe I was a little, but this baby was going to be a huge deal and everyone was just acting like it wasn't. And my family was a little thrown by me caring about the baby. Hell, I was a little surprised that I was caring.

This time, in order to _not_ be late to homeroom again, I went to the locker room first. I shoved all of my stuff in my locker and shut the door, only to see Allison behind it. "Jesus!" I jumped, eyes fluttering in surprise.

"Sorry! Sorry." Allison instantly put her hands out as she apologized.

"What the fuck, Allison?" I breathed out, letting my forehead rest against the cool metal.

"I saw you heading in here and I—I wanted to talk to you." Allison said, twisting her fingers together as I glanced at her.

"About what?" I asked, lifting my head off of the locker.

"About…Scott." She finished, looking nervous.

"Uh, okay." I was a little surprised. I thought we had already talked about Scott, but apparently Allison thought otherwise. "Well, I have to get to homeroom, but we can walk and talk…I guess." I placed my hands on my backpack straps. Allison nodded and gave me a smile as I headed out of the locker room, her following me.

"So, uh, what do you want to talk about?" I asked, scratching my temple.

"Oh, uhm, well last night I was driving home and I went to change the song on my iPod." Allison glanced at me to make sure I was still paying attention, "And then I hit this dog and I was freaking out so I took it to the vet—"

"Scott works at the vet." I cut her off.

"Yeah…" Allison trailed off. I gave her a knowing look.

"So _that_ was the dog." I stated. Allison looked a little confused, but she quickly composed herself.

"Yeah, he wrapped up the dog's leg and gave me one of his shirts." Allison let her bag swing off of one shoulder so she could reach into her bag. "And I was wondering if you could give this to him." She handed me the shirt. I stared at the girl.

"Are you _insane_?" I asked. Allison look confused. "Why would I give it back to him?" I asked.

"Cause you two are friends?" Allison's statement sounded like a question. I blew out a breath through my nostrils as I made a face.

"You don't have to give the shirt back." I shook my head, "And if you do, _I'm _not going to give it back, you are."

"In English?" Allison asked.

"Tonight." I leaned forward a bit, "At the party…which you are going with him…" I moved my head a bit. Allison smiled to herself, looking down at the shirt to hide it.

"I heard he used the word _litigious._" I said, getting her attention as I started walking again.

"You sound surprised." Allison said, glancing at me with a curious smile.

"For as cute as that boy is, he's not really good with vocabulary." I said, giving Allison a smile of my own as I came upon my homeroom.

"Hey, are you coming tonight? To Lydia's?" Allison asked, reaching out to gently grab my wrist. I made a face and shook my head.

"I don't really think so."

"Leah, please come." Allison started, "It'll be fun, I swear. And I want someone there who knows Scott and can like help me." Allison looked hopeful.

"Well, Stiles will be there." I said giving her a tight smile. Allison's face fell and I felt something shoot through me, the exact same thing I felt when we left Scott out in the woods. Guilt.

"Fine." I said through gritted teeth. I rolled my head back and stomped my foot. "I'll come, I guess." I rolled my eyes. Allison instantly brightened up, "I'm not gonna be happy about it."

"That's what the alcohol is for." Allison pointed out. I made a face and nodded.

"True. Right, yeah, I forgot that parties usually include alcohol." I looked away from Allison before shaking my head, "Okay, I seriously need to go. Harris will find _any _reason to give me detention." Allison let go of my wrist and nodded, almost bouncing.

"I'll see you in English." I said carefully to Allison's nod. I turned away from the girl and walked into homeroom, sitting down the seat closest to the door.

I didn't know where I was in relationship spectrum with Allison. I was never good with girls ever since the lesbian rumor started. Not like I was good with them before. I was too outspoken, said _fuck _too much and would rather be on the field than be watching. I was much more comfortable with being by myself or with just Scott. I didn't need a lot of friends like Lydia or Jackson.

It was weird with Allison though, it was like she was _trying _to be my friend. I'd never had anyone do that before and it kinda threw me off. I mean, she was a nice girl and I could see being friends with her, but I didn't know exactly how to go about it. I was sort of afraid I would scare her away.

The bell rang after last period and I collect my things from my desk, shoving them into my bag as I looked around the room. I was in Math, which meant apparently so was the kid from tryouts the other day. I spotted him in the back corner, by the window, slowly packing his things up. He glanced over and caught me staring. I stared at him until he looked away first, face turning a bright red. I slung my bag over my shoulder and stood up, walking out of the room and merging into the hallway traffic.

I made my way to the girls' locker room, going through the same routine and headed out to the field, climbing up the hill before the boys this time. I got to the bench and dropped my stuff down, pulling out my gloves as Finstock blew his whistle. I looked up just as I heard Stiles.

"Scott!" He shrieked, voice hitting an octave. I glanced over my shoulder as Scott came up to me, Stiles fumbling over himself to get to my best friend. "Scott! Wait!"

"I'm starting the elimination round. Can't it wait?" Scott asked. I laughed to myself as I reached down for my lacrosse stick. Stiles pushed Scott back, forcing him to wait.

"The fiber analysis came back from the lab in L.A." Scott stopped paying attention, motioning to me with a jerk of his head to come out onto the field with him, "They found animal hairs on the body!" Stiles tried to keep Scott from leaving. Scott just shook him off and ran out onto the field. I took a couple steps, ending up next to Stiles as he flailed about.

"No! Wait! Scott, you aren't going to believe what the animal was!" Stiles faltered as Scott left him. "It was a wolf." Stiles finished.

"A wolf, eh?" I asked, rocking back on my heels and crossing my arms over my chest. I glanced at Stiles, "Didn't he say something about getting _bit_ by a wolf?" I let my furrow, "And didn't _someone _say something about lycanthropy? Maybe he's a _werewolf._" Stiles paled. I smirked at his reaction.

"I—I didn't—It was a joke…" Stiles rubbed his hand over his mouth, other hand on his hip, "Oh my God." He whispered out as Finstock blew his whistle again.

"Don't worry." I slapped his shoulder, "Probably nothing." I made a face before running out onto the field to join up with the rest of the team.

I forced my way to the front and tossed my braid over my shoulder as Finstock stopped blowing his whistle. I glanced around the group, smirking to myself before returning my gaze back to Finstock, who was starting up his pep talk.

"You got a question, McCall?" Coach suddenly asked. I looked to see that Scott's hand was raised and there was a puppy dog grin on his face. I followed his line of vision to see Allison climbing up onto the bleachers. _Ah_.

"What?" Scott asked, attention returning to Finstock.

"You raised your hand, do you have a question?" Finstock asked, stepping closer to Scott. I pulled my lips in and tried not to laugh at my best friend.

"Oh! No…I was just, uh, nothing sorry." Scott glanced to me and gave him a thumbs up and made a face. _Real smooth. _

_ "_Okay." Finstock was obviously moving on, "You know how this goes. If you don't make the cut, you're most likely sitting on the bench for most of the season." He nudged one of the freshman, "You make the cut, ya play!" He looked at me, those wild eyes bright with excitement. I grinned at him, "Your parents are proud." He tapped me, "Ya girlfriend _loves ya!_" He grabbed onto one of the defensemen's helmet and shook it, "Huh! Everything else is…" Finstock stopped in front of Scott, "Cream cheese." He turned back to the group, "Now get out there and show me whatcha got! Come on!"

I let out a cheer with the rest of the guys, as they riled themselves up. We were split into two teams, red and black, and while the whoops and hollers went through the air, we separated. I was in a red pinnie, which meant I was on the team with Scott. I bounced on my toes and went over to front right, crouching down into position as Jackson and Scott took the center.

The ball was dropped and Jackson instantly got it, scooping it up and tossing it to his team member. I got to my feet and went to block him as he tried to go around me. After a little dance around each other, I ended up slamming him back and knocking him down. I grinned at him for a moment before helping him up. He tossed the ball back and we reset.

Throughout the scrimmage, we moved around positions. At one point, I was tossed the ball, easily catching it and I moved forward, trying to get to the goal. Someone came at me with their lacrosse stick, but I dodged it. I saw Scott standing open and with a flick of my wrist, I sent the ball flying perfectly into his cradle. Scott stared at it for a moment before looking at me.

"Go, you idiot! Go!" I hollered out, getting Scott to move.

Scott went around one of the defensemen, but two more came up against him. Scott dodged one, but Jackson came and slammed him down to the ground. I grimaced as the whistle blew. I felt my temper flare though as Jackson walked off, going into his buddies with high fives and bro-hugs. I rolled my eyes and jogged to the center, just as Jackson did.

"You think just cause your brother was on the team, you automatically are on?" Jackson sneered as we set.

"If I thought that, I wouldn't be here….kicking…your…ass." I said, winking at him. Jackson let out a huff as the whistle blew. I managed to scoop up the ball and I went running, leaving Jackson still in his crouch as I scanned the field.

"Scott!" I yelled before tossing the ball to Scott. Scott easily caught it and took off, avoiding all of the defense as they came running to him. He was light on his feet and his movements were fluid, I couldn't help but stop and watch. And then Scott proceeded to flip over the line of defensemen, stick the landing and shoot the ball into the goal. Danny wasn't ready and completely missed, reaching for it a second too late.

"Yes!" I cheered, jumping up and down as Scott turned back to us. He put his arms up in the air as the team went to go celebrate with him. Finstock blew his whistle as the crowd cheered along. I glanced to Jackson and put my arms out, walking backwards as I shrugged.

"McCall!" Finstock yelled out, ending the celebration, "Get over here!" Scott pulled out of the group hug thing and went over to Finstock. I ambled over, pulling off my helmet as I went.

"What in God's name was _that?_" Finstock asked out, looking disgusted. I held my helmet under my arm as I watched the exchange. "This is a _lacrosse field_. What are you…trying out for the gymnastics team?" Scott looked a little surprised.

"No, no Coach." Scott answered with a slight shake of his head.

"What the hell was that?" Finstock asked as he pointed to the field. Scott glanced at me and then looked back to Finstock.

"I—I don't know. I was just trying to make the shot." Scott pointed to the goal with his lacrosse stick.

"Yeah? Well, you made the shot and guess what?" Finstock asked, "You're starting, buddy." He clapped Scott on the shoulder. My jaw dropped as a look of surprise etched itself onto Scott's face.

"Ya made first line." Coach explained further as if it wasn't clear. He grabbed Scott's shoulders and shook him gently before walking away. There was a massive grin on Scott's face and I instantly bounded over to him, throwing my arms around him.

"Oh my God!" I cried out as the people in the bleachers cheered, "This is amazing!" I stepped back, stopping myself, "Oh, shit. Am I allowed to hug you?"

"Why wouldn't you be allowed to hug me?" Scott asked me, the grin still on his face.

"Cause of a certain someone." I sang out, fixing his pads for him. Scott laughed and then hugged me again. I stepped back first and lightly punched his jaw, "Oh, I gotta tell Connor." I grinned at him, "I'll be watching you on Saturday and remembering back to the days where we used to run drills with him."

"Hey, we still got an hour of tryouts left. You still have time to make it." Scott reminded me. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, well, according to the lovely administration, this'll be the only time I'm stepping onto the field." I gave him another grin before turning around. Everyone was still on their feet except for Stiles, who was rubbing his hand over his mouth again and staring at Scott, the uneasy look from the woods back on his face. He didn't look very happy at all.

I ambled over to him and sat on the bench next to him as the team ran another drill, "Can't even be happy for your _supposed_ best friend, can you?" I asked. Stiles looked at me.

"I _am _happy for him."

"I don't see a smile, didn't hear your stupid _That's my friend! _And you were the only one still sitting." Stiles didn't answer me, just continued to watch Scott dominate the field.

"Maybe I'm worried."

"Thinkin the fame is gonna get to him? Make him go crazy?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Not the fame…" Stiles trailed off.

"Wow, that was very vague, thank you."

"Stilinski! You're up!" Coach barked, waving Stiles onto the field before blowing his whistle. I laughed to myself as Stiles ambled onto the field.

I finished the elimination round without any mention of first line. Stiles didn't make the cut, but Jackson did as did Danny and a couple of the other guys. The other kid, Isaac, didn't make the cut either, but he seemed somewhat relieved. I headed to the locker room as the others talked about Lydia Martin's party that was happening in a few hours. I tuned out as much as I could.

There was no one in the house when I got home, except for Webster, who was perched on his spot at the window, watching me as I walked up the front walk. I pushed through the front door and dropped my bags, kicking off my shoes before picking my duffel back up and walking to the deck where I laid out my gear.

My phone was ringing as I closed the kitchen door. I reached into my pocket, expecting to see Connor's name on the screen, but was confused when I saw Stiles' name instead. I hit ignore and shoved it back into my pocket, heading back to the foyer to pick up my backpack. I was planning on doing homework until the last possible moment before Lydia's party.

I got to my room and my phone rang again. I glanced to see it was Stiles…again. I hit ignore and tossed it onto my bed, going for my desk. I settled into my spinny chair and pulled out some textbooks. I heard my phone ringing again and pushed out of my chair to look and see it was yet again Stiles. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my phone, hitting ignore and setting it on the desk.

I opened my History book and had just started to outline the chapter when my phone buzzed. This time I didn't even look, I knew exactly who it was. I answered it and shoved it in between my ear and shoulder.

"Do you call everyone this many times or am I just a special case?" I asked as I scooted forward.

"_Well considering I don't call anyone, anytime, I would say you are a special case." _Connor's voice answered back.

"You have got to stop doing this." I breathed out, doodling on my notebook. Connor laughed.

"_Expecting Scott again?_"

"No, Stiles." I mumbled. Connor made some sort of noise.

"_You guys have started talking now? On the phone? Soon your mouths will be busy doing other things…." _He started making kissing noises. I gagged.

_ "_Please shut up before I stab myself with my pen." I flipped my pen around my fingers so the point was facing me. I mimed doing it, even though Connor couldn't see.

"_Okay. Okay." _Connor chuckled, "_So how were the eliminations?" _

"Oh my God, Connor, you should've seen Scott. I swear, I don't know what's happened to him but somehow he just—he _flipped _over the defense to score."

"_I bet Coach loved that_." Connor chuckled.

"Obviously." I rolled my eyes and smiled a bit. We fell into a little bit of a silence before Connor spoke up.

"_And how'd you do?_"

"I was pretty good." I nodded to myself, "Yeah…"

"_You didn't make first line did you?"_ Connor asked. I cringed and looked around my room.

"Uh, Coach is doing this new thing where he's letting us know on Monday." I scoffed, trying to play it off, "So none of us know. But I have a pretty good chance."

_"You don't sound so sure._" Connor sounded like he was doubtful.

"No! I am!" I laughed, "I am. I just…Scott got bit the other night in the woods and the next day he was amazing at tryouts and then he was just as good today and I'm just a little worried."

"_Why?"_

"Well, he said a wolf bit him and Stiles made some crack about lycanthropy." I gave a nervous laugh, "But it's Stiles so he's just probably trying to scare us or something." I hurriedly finished.

"_Scott's fine. Maybe he just got an adrenaline rush." _Connor reassured me_ "Hey, I gotta go. I'll text you later?" _

"Yeah, totally." I nodded. I hung up with Connor and set my phone on the desk.

I stared at it, pushing my thumb into my mouth. I chewed on the nail as I stared at it. Connor didn't need to know about me not making first line. He would just act like he was still proud of me, but I would know that he was disappointed. It was always his little thing; that I would be on the team just as he was and I would be just as good as he would. But sometimes, life doesn't work out that way. It was like a crappy Lifetime movie. _No, Connor it's your dream! Not mine!_

"Leah!" Mom's voice rang out, jolting me from my visions of my family as a Lifetime movie. "Phone!" I rolled my eyes and pushed out of my chair. It was probably some lame relative calling about lacrosse or something.

"I don't want to talk to Aunt Ginger." I groaned as I slumped down the stairs, "Or Uncle Ben, or any of the others." I said with a wave of my hand as I came into the kitchen. Mom just gave me a look and handed me the phone. I took it with an eye roll and placed it to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked, staring at Mom.

_"Leah! Finally!" _My brow furrowed at Stiles' voice.

"Stiles? Why are you calling my house phone? How did you even get this number?"

"_Not important. You need to get over here. Like ten minutes ago."_

_ "_Over where?" I asked, glancing away from Mom's raised eyebrows.

"_What do you mean over where?"_

_ "_I mean, _over where_, there could be a lot of places. Like the school, Scott's house, the library, the—" Stiles let out a strangled, frustrated yell.

"_My house, you Barbie doll! Just get over here!"_

"Why?" I innocently asked with a slight smile on my face.

"_Leah, I swear to God—" _I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call with my thumb. Mom raised her eyebrows at me as I grinned.

"What?" I asked, noticing her look.

"What was that about?"

"Oh, I don't even know." I made a face, "Stiles was freaking out again and asked me to come over."

"Think it's serious?" Mom asked, her eyebrows knitting together as she rested her chin on her propped up elbows.

"Nope." I popped the 'p.'

"Are you sure?" Mom asked, leaning forward on the counter. I felt the same pang of guilt shoot through me again.

"Fine." I groaned, rolling my head back, "I'll go. But I'm not gonna like it."

"Didn't think you would." Mom winked at me. I stared at her.

"Oh, PS, I'm going to a party tonight." Mom arched her eyebrow as she straightened up.

"A party? You? Really?"

"Mom, shut up." I made a face, "I was practically forced into it by this new girl—"

"The new girl who you ditched on the first day of school." Mom clarified.

"You know, normal parents would be more concerned about their daughter going to a party." I said, tapping my fist on the counter before backing up.

"Oh, okay. So you want me to ban you from going to this party?" Mom asked, pressing her hands flat on the counter.

"If you could do that, I would love you forever." I seriously said. Mom laughed and waved her hands at me.

"Go, get. You have to go to a certain _hazel _eyed boy's house." Mom stressed the eye color. I gave her a look.

"He probably just got stuck in the bathroom or something." I rolled my eyes as Mom waggled her eyebrows at me, "Ma! Stop!" I made a face before turning around and going for the door. I grabbed my board and walked out of the house. I stopped at the end of the walk and let out a huff before angrily brushing back a few flyways and putting my board down. I stepped onto it and pushed off, heading for Spazz Attack's house.

I knew the way via muscle memory. I hadn't been to the Stilinski house in years; I was pretty sure the last time I was there was for the small gathering after Claudia—Mrs. Stilinski's funeral. I didn't remember much, but I remembered the streets and the what the house looked like. Plus the sheriff was coming out as I rolled up.

"Hey, Leah." The sheriff looked surprised to see me, willingly walking up his front walk. I gave him a small wave.

"Hi, Sheriff." I said with a tight smile, "Stiles called. Asked me to come over. Is everything okay?"

"That I know of." The sheriff's brow furrowed, "Should I be worried?"

"Are you _seriously _asking me that question?" I asked back, giving him a look. The sheriff chuckled and nodded.

"You're right, Leah. Have a good night."

"You too." I nodded at him as he got into his cruiser. I waited until he backed out of the drive and turned onto the street to go into the house.

I left my board by the door and went up the stairs where I could clearly hear Stiles and Scott arguing. Stiles' bedroom door was the first one in front of the stairs and I pushed through the door just in time to see Stiles digging through Scott's bag.

"Hey, yo! What are you doing?" I asked, getting the boys' attention.

"Finally!" Stiles yelled out, flailing about.

"He's cancelling my date with Allison." Scott said at the same time.

"_Excuse me?!_" I yelled out at Stiles. "No! You can't do that!"

"You don't understand—"

"No, I understand _plenty_." I stepped up to the boy, who was by the bed, "You're jealous. You're jealous that he's made first line, got a date and you're still here _obsessing _over some girl who pretends to be an _idiot_!" I laughed out, completely appalled with Stiles' actions, "This is a new low, Stiles."

"None of that stuff is true, Barbie. Which you would know if you answered your phone once in a while." I made a face at him, "I'm cancelling that date. You're not going." Stiles grabbed the phone and turned away as I reached for him.

"No, give it to me!" Scott yelled out. And if I had blinked, I would've missed it because Scott grabbed Stiles and whirled him around, forcing his back against the wall. I jumped at the sound of Stiles' back slamming against the wall. One of Scott's hands was clenched around his throat and the other was in a fist, aimed for Stiles' face. The phone clattered out of Stiles' hand as Stiles flinched.

Scott let out a yell and threw his arm back, knocking the chair over instead of punching Stiles' face. He let go of Stiles, who let out a breath and looked from Scott to me. I felt my stomach knot up and I shoved my thumb into my mouth, chewing on my thumbnail. Scott looked up to me, his eyes dark and I instinctually took a step back. His eyes and face softened at my motion and he looked away, turning to Stiles.

"I—I'm sorry." Stiles didn't reply. Scott took a step back, "I gotta go get—ready for that…party." He lamely said as he moved away from Stiles.

I watched Scott carefully as he moved towards his bag. He retrieved it and slung it around his shoulder. I stepped to the side and picked up Scott's phone. I handed it out to him, the end of the phone in the air. Scott looked at me with a small, sad smile as he took it, making sure not to touch my hand with his hand.

"I'm sorry." Scott said again, looking over to where Stiles was still against the wall.

When it became clear that Stiles wasn't going to respond, Scott stepped around me, going for the door. It opened and shut and as soon as Scott was gone, Stiles slammed his head against the wall in frustration. I let my arms cross over my chest as Stiles went to pick up his chair. I looked around Stiles' room, seeing the papers and books strewn about.

"What is all this?" I asked. I looked to Stiles, who let out a sigh, eyes still on the chair.

"Theories. Research. Myths. But that little outburst just proved it."

"Proved what?" I asked, brow furrowing. Stiles spun the chair so the back was facing me.

"This." There were three deep gashes in the material, deep enough that I saw the fluffy insides. I shifted my weight, eyes darting up to Stiles' face.

"What the fuck is that?" I asked. The uneasy look returned. Stiles ran his hand over his mouth and stomped his foot, almost like he was debating on telling me something.

"Fine. Don't tell me." I said after a moment, "Not like you don't tell me anything anyways." I shrugged. Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Don't be so dramatic. God." I fixed him with a look, "Lycanthropy." Stiles said, raising his hands in the air, "Scott's a werewolf." I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, good one. What am I? A _fairy_?"

"No, you're a Barbie." Stiles shot back. I gave him a look before shaking my head.

"He's not a werewolf, Spazz. They aren't even real."

"But think about it!" Stiles said, "The bite, the _wolf _howl and the _wolf _hairs on the body." Stiles flailed a bit, "You said it yourself!"

"I was _kidding!_" I laughed, trying to mask my worry, "He's not a werewolf, Stiles."

"You saw those moves today, Leah. He doesn't need his inhaler anymore, he can hear better, smell some gum in my _pocket_. There's no other explanation!"

"Yeah there is!" I shot back, "Adrenaline! That's what happened to him on the field the other day and today and probably what happened to him to make him do this to your chair!" I flung my hand to Stiles' chair. I was trying to play it cool. There was no way in hell Scott could be a werewolf. I was just making a joke. The wolf hairs on the body were just a coincidence. Werewolves didn't exist.

Stiles opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off, "Now since you made me come here and made me skate _all the way _to your house, you are driving me to Lydia's party." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. Stiles gaped at me.

"Like hell I am!" Stiles put his hands on his hips. I raised my eyebrows at him and stared until he broke. He rolled his head back and groaned.

"Fine. _Whatever_." He waved a hand in the air before stomping past me, "But you're waiting downstairs. I need to get ready."

"You sound like a girl." I snorted as Stiles walked out of his room.

I stayed in Stiles' room and went over to his desk, looking at the photos of him and Scott, him and his dad and his mom before I started leafing through all the pages of material and research he did on the subject of werewolves. He was thorough that was for sure; he had books and websites and different views on lycanthropy. I found myself reading through one of the packets he had stapled together and started highlighting and annotating.

Even though I didn't truly believe Stiles, there was something twisting in my stomach that made me think that there could be a possibility that he was right. And his research showed that the next full moon was later on tonight. I made a silent promise to myself that I would look out for Scott, making sure that he was okay during the party.

I made Stiles wait until fifteen minutes after the party actually started to leave his house. He was twitching the entire time and I knew he just wanted to be there, even it was just to ogle at Lydia. It was fun to watch him glance at the clock almost ever thirty seconds as some dumb rom com played on TV. And at exactly fifteen minutes, Stiles shot to his feet.

"Let's go! Let's go, we're burning daylight!" Stiles waved his arms around, trying to get me to move faster.

"It's dark." I said from my position on the couch. Stiles rolled his head back and slumped down.

"Leah, you said fifteen minutes. It's been fifteen minutes. Probably sixteen now!"

"Why are you rushing?" I asked, looking up at him, "She has a boyfriend." I reminded him, "And it's pathetic to show up on time to a party."

"Oh, and _how _many parties have you been to?" Stiles asked, leaning forward. I gave him a look before dramatically standing up. He bolted to the door while I lazily walked there, taking my time.

"I can't believe you roped me into this." Stiles was bouncing, "If I was by myself, I would have already been there."

"Yeah, stringing up lights while she called you _Stan_." I said as I walked by him to grab my board. Stiles made a noise.

"But she would be talking to me." He pointed out as I opened the door.

"_Pathetic_." I said in response as I walked through the front door. I went up to Stiles' Jeep and jiggled the handle until he unlocked the door.

"Says the girl who wanted to date Danny Melahani during freshman year." Stiles scoffed as I got into the Jeep. I promptly punched his shoulder, making him cringe and gasp out in pain.

"We don't talk about that. Like ever. In the history of ever." I said, "Ever." Stiles grumbled as he rubbed his arm.

"You aren't supposed to hit the driver." He grumbled. I slammed my fist into his shoulder again.

"You aren't driving." I simply said as he gasped out again.

"Would you stop that!?" He flailed around in his seat. I looked pointedly to the clock. Stiles made a face at me and his jaw clicked as he pushed his chin out and started the Jeep, returning his gaze to the road.

Stiles somehow managed to find a spot to parallel park his Jeep in front of Lydia's house. He quickly got out of the car and practically ran to the end of the driveway before composing himself and straightening his tie. I ambled up to him and crossed my arms over my chest as I stared at the house containing copious amounts of alcohol, food and teenagers.

"You have a thing for blazers don't you?" I asked, glancing over to him.

"I am _not_ letting you ruin this for me." Stiles pointed a finger at me before walking up the driveway. I rolled my eyes, but followed after him.

We got to the front door and Stiles stared at it for a moment before looking at me, "Should I ring or—"

"Oh for the love of God." I groaned out, shoving the door open and walking inside, Stiles following me.

I was immediately assaulted with the smell of sweat and booze while my ears were attacked by some top 40 hit and my eyes landed on some couples doing some pretty unsavory things. I had made a _huge _mistake.

"Hey, guys!" I heard a voice say from behind me. I spun around to see Allison and Scott coming through the front door. Allison was all smiles and Scott looked like he couldn't believe he was here.

"I didn't know you two were together." Allison said, eyes looking from me to Stiles. I looked at Stiles and immediately began to shoot Allison down as did Stiles.

"No! Oh God no—"

"_Us? Together?_ Hell no-."

"I can't stand him-."

"Honestly don't even know how I got to be standing next to her-."

"He's a spazz-."

"And she's a Barbie-."

Allison looked in between the two of us before nodding a bit and then looking to Scott. Scott laughed at us and waved his free hand in between us.

"They hate each other."

"I can see that." Allison mused, a somewhat of a knowing smile on her face. I gave her a look as she winked at me, "Let's go dance." She looked at Scott, who nodded. The couple walked by us and Stiles and I turned to follow them.

"Have fun." I said lamely.

"You too." Allison waved at me with a smile before walking through the house with Scott.

"Well that was—" Stiles started.

"I need alcohol." I ended, walking away from him. I wove through the crowd and headed towards what I would assume to be the kitchen if it wasn't for the keg and the plethora of handles of different alcohols littered around the counter area. I grabbed a red cup and started to make up my drink. The handle of Captain slipped from my grip and I reached out to catch it, when another hand snatched it up instead.

"Nice catch." I commented, looking up to see an older guy giving me an easy smile, "And you're too old to be in high school." I said, pointing at him.

"Never thought I'd see the day where Leah Kane would be making up a drink." I felt my brow furrow as the leather jacketed guy used my full name.

"Who the fuck are you?" I asked, "And how the fuck do you know my name?"

"You always did have a way with words." I stared at the guy as he leaned across to grab my cup and pour in a little of the Captain.

"Flattered. But still didn't answer either of my questions." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'm Derek Hale. My sister, Laura, used to babysit you and your brother, Connor." Derek said handing me my cup back. I took it, taking a sip as I eyed him.

"Your sister used to babysit me." I stated, a bit doubtful.

"Every Friday night." Derek sighed, leaning on the counter. I lifted my chin at him, nodding a bit as my eyes went to slits.

"So you think you can just waltz into a _high school _party and tell me your sister used to babysit me and I would just go—" I got distracted as Scott stumbled back into the house, clutching his head, "Scott?" I asked aloud, putting my drink on the counter and then pushing through the crowd.

"Leah, wait." Derek said, coming after me. "You _really_ shouldn't be around him right now." He said as he grabbed my arm.

"Let go of me, you freak." I said, tugging back, "I have to go help Scott." I tugged again, "Look, dude, I don't know you or your sister, so just—"

"Yo." I heard from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see a couple of the guys from the lacrosse team standing behind me, "She said let go." I looked at the guys; all of their faces were set as they stared at Derek. I looked back and smirked at Derek as he let me go.

"Did he hurt you?" One of the guys, Max, asked.

"No, I'm fine." I stared at Derek, "He was actually just leaving." Derek looked pissed, but there was nothing he could do except brush by us and out to the door.

"Thanks, guys." I said, turning around to look at them. Danny was among the three guys and he gave me a small smile.

"Gotta protect our little princess." Max said, reaching out and ruffling my hair.

"More like princess ninja warrior." The other one, Harry, said with a grimace, rubbing at his shoulder. I rolled my eyes.

"I have to go find Scott. Thanks again." I walked past the guys, going for the front door. I quickly pulled it open and hurried down the front steps and started down the driveway, looking for Scott's mom's car. It was nowhere to be found. But I did see a familiar leather jacket talking to a figure, who looked extremely like Allison, at the end of the driveway. _Oh no_.

I hurried down the driveway, coming up to the two as I heard my name. I came to a stop as Allison turned to look at me with a somewhat sad smile.

"Where'd Scott go?" I asked, wrapping my arms around my middle.

"He got sick, remember?" Derek piped up. I looked to him, "You were there and I told you I would drive you home. You were just telling Stiles." I stared at the man before looking to Allison.

"Uh…yeah…right." I scratched my temple and shifted my weight.

"He said he was a friend of Scott's." Allison looked like she was trying to see if I would confirm or deny it. "And he said he was your babysitter." Allison cautiously said.

"His sister." I said at the same time Derek said, "My sister." Allison nodded and looked down at the ground.

"So should we go?" Derek asked. I looked at Allison, who nodded, rolling her lips in. "My car's over here." Derek said with an easy smile. I walked a little ways behind him as Allison walked next to me, glancing over her shoulder. I pulled out my phone and composed a text to Connor,

_Does the name Derek Hale ring a bell? _

There was no immediate response and I stared at my phone for a couple of seconds before shoving it back into my pocket. Derek led us to a Camaro and opened the passenger door for Allison, letting her sit shotgun. My phone buzzed just as I was getting into the backseat.

_Yeah. His sister used to babysit us. Cool dude from what I remember. Why? _

I didn't respond, but felt somewhat relieved. If Connor knew the guy and he didn't have an immediate bad thing to say about him, I wouldn't let myself worry. So I got into the backseat of the car and scooted to the middle so I was in between Derek and Allison.

"Hey, here's a crazy idea." I said, clasping my hands together, "Why don't you just drop me and Allison off at her house." I made a face, looking to Derek and inviting myself over to Allison's.

"Actually, that sounds like a perfect idea." Derek said, glancing at me and giving me a smile. I nodded to myself and looked to Allison.

"I totally just invited myself over, is that okay?" I asked as Derek started driving. Allison laughed a bit.

"Yeah, it's fine." She looked a little uneasy and I knew it was because of Scott bailing on her. I gave her a small smile and sat back in my seat as Allison took off her jacket and started to give Derek directions to her house.

A few minutes later, Derek was pulling up to Allison's house. He bid us goodnight as I ushered Allison out of the car in a bit of rush. I glanced back at him as we climbed the front steps to her house. He gave me a nod before driving off. I watched him before turning back and stepping into Allison's house.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home." Allison called out.

"And you brought a friend." A woman's voice said, making me jump. I laughed at myself as a woman with sharp features and red hair stepped out to greet us. The motherly smile on her face only softened her features a bit, but not enough that I wasn't scared of her.

"Mom, this is Leah." Allison introduced me.

"Oh, we've heard a lot about you." Mrs. Argent said, reaching out to shake my hand. I nervously laughed.

"All good things I hope." I nervously said. Mrs. Argent gave me a smile.

"All good things." She affirmed with a nod.

"We're gonna go upstairs." Allison said, grabbing my arm.

"Are you staying the night, Leah?" Mrs. Argent asked as Allison started to drag me to the staircase.

"Uh, not sure." I said, brow furrowing. I had _not_ thought this plan through. I opened my mouth to say something else, but Allison spoke first.

"Is it okay if she does?" Mrs. Argent nodded, the smile still on her face.

"Of course. Any friend of Allison's is a friend of ours." I hadn't heard that one before. I nodded and gave Mrs. Argent a smile as Allison ran up the rest of the stairs. I followed her as we walked across the balcony and into her room. She shut the door behind me and leaned her head against it. I laughed at her antics before settling onto her bed. I let my eyes wander as she came and sat down next to me. I glanced at her to see her playing with her fingers.

"Listen, about Scott…" I started before hearing Mrs. Argent's voice,

"Allison?"

"Hold that thought." Allison said, getting off of her bed and going for the door. I followed her out into the hall.

"It's for you." Her mother finished as we walked onto the balcony and looked down to see Stiles at the door.

"Stiles?" Allison asked, hands on the railing

"Oh thank God." I heard him breathe out and then he noticed me, "Uh…I was uh, just coming to…pick up Leah." I felt my brow furrow as I stared at him and then I looked over to Allison, who was looking at me. I let my face go back to neutral as I nodded.

"Yeah," I laughed, "I, uh, texted him to tell him that I was here." I started for the stairs, "But I didn't know he was going to be so fast in picking me up!" I said, acting surprised, "I thought we were going to have more girl time." I looked over my shoulder and pouted at Allison, playing it up. Allison screwed her mouth to the side.

"We can do breakfast tomorrow." Allison suggested, arms crossed over her chest.

"Or lunch." I made a face and shrugged, "There's this great burger place."

"Sure." Allison nodded, a smile on her face as we got to the bottom of the stairs, "I'll text you?"

"Perfect. Thank you so much for having me." I looked to Mrs. Argent, "It was really nice meeting you."

"You too, Leah." Mrs. Argent nodded at me, "Have a good night." I nodded at the woman and turned away, stepping out of the house and up to Stiles.

"Night, Mrs. Argent." Stiles waved a bit before both of us turned and the door shut behind us.

"She scares the ever loving shit out of me." I shivered as we walked down the steps.

"You have loving shit in your body? You have _love_ in your body?" Stiles asked. I shoved him.

"What the hell were you doing here?" I asked as we walked over to the Jeep, which was still running.

"Scott thought something happened with Allison since I told him Derek took her home."

"You saw us?" I asked, looking at him, "And you didn't stop us?" I asked, flailing about. Stiles looked at me, but didn't respond as we got into the Jeep.

"Where _is_ Scott?" I asked, looking around.

"Uh, I am not currently sure." Stiles scratched the back of his neck and made a face. I stared at him. Stiles looked away from me and sighed.

"I think he's wolfing out."

"Wolfing out." I stated.

"Yes! At the party he was acting all weird and like ran away from Allison. And after I saw you two get a ride, I went over there and he was all growly and shit and then was talking about how Derek was the one that bit him."

"I thought he was embarrassed cause he got a boner!" I cried out, slumping down my seat. Stiles gave me a look.

"He used the w word."

"The what?"

"Werewolf." Stiles looked at me. I pulled my lips in and pushed up in my seat.

"Stiles, where is he?" I asked, looking over to Stiles. Stiles let out a breath.

"I think he went after Derek."

"And where is Derek?" I asked, raising a hand.

"I have no idea." Stiles admitted.

"So we're just gonna drive around for the rest of the night until we find Scott." I said, glancing at him.

"Pretty much, yes." Stiles bobbed his head. I rolled my head back and blew out a loud breath.

"Alright then." I said, staring at the ceiling, "Let's find the werewolf."

"Hey!" Stiles looked over to me with a grin, "You used the w word."

"It's the only other explanation." I deadpanned, "You don't win."

"Yes, I do." Stiles said in a mocking tone. He looked oddly proud of himself and I felt the overwhelming urge to hit him. I clenched and unclenched my fist before letting out a slow breath.

"Let's just find him, okay? I don't need my best friend using someone as a chew toy."

"He's my best friend." Stiles immediately responded. I glared at him.

I saw the sun rise in the side mirror as my head bounced against the window of the passenger seat. We had gone all over town—with no luck, and were heading to the Preserve entrance to start looking for Scott on foot. I had to admit that I was worried, but Stiles told me that we couldn't call his dad or Mom, which was true. Scott wasn't missing, he was just a little lost.

"Is that him?" I asked, picking my head up as we came over a hill, "It's him. Stiles, slow down."

"Oh, I was just gonna speed up." Stiles gave me a look, "Maybe run him over." I made a face as Stiles pulled up next to Scott. He was shirtless and his pants were stained with dirt. He was clutching his arm, but stopped walking as we stopped next to him. I gave him a small smile before pushing the door open and climbing into the back, purposely shoving my hand onto Stiles' head. Stiles winced as Scott slammed the passenger door shut.

"Hey." He quietly said. I settled in the back and leaned forward, giving him a small smile.

"Hey there, wolf boy." I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. Stiles resumed driving after handing Scott his blazer. Scott wrapped the blazer around himself and settled into the seat.

"So what happened?" Stiles asked, glancing at Scott.

"I—I started growing claws and fangs and my eyes were gold…" Scott trailed off, "I guess you were right, Stiles."

"Awh, why'd you go do that." I whined as Stiles fist pumped.

"Told you, told you, told you." Stiles said over and over again. I rolled my eyes and focused on Scott.

"Are you okay?"

"For now." Scott sighed, "I don't know what happened. One moment I was a normal teenage boy and the next-"

"You were wolf boy." I stated, making a face. Scott glanced at me with a sad smile. I made my fingers into claws.

"You know what worries me the most?" Scott asked.

"If you say Allison, I'm going to punch you in the head." Stiles answered. Scott groaned, resting his head on the window.

"She probably hates me now." Scott whined.

"I doubt that. But you might want to come up with a pretty amazing apology." Stiles said. "Or you could tell her the truth. Then revel in the awesomeness that you're a freaking werewolf." I watched Scott shoot Stiles a look, "Okay bad idea."

"I'll talk to her, Scott." I reassured him, "We're having lunch today." I set my mouth in a line.

"Wow, please contain your excitement." Stiles put up a hand. I shook my head.

"Sorry." I looked to Scott, "But I'll talk to her. "

"Thanks, Leah." Scott gave me a small smile. He still looked uneasy.

"Hey, we'll get through this." Stiles shoved Scott, "Come on, if I have to I'll chain you up myself and feed you live mice. I had a boa once, I could do it." Scott chuckled. I made a face.

"Oh my God, that explains _so much _about you." I stuck out my tongue at Stiles as he rolled his eyes at me.

* * *

_**A/N: Scott's a werewolf? WHO SAW THAT COMING?! Ahhhh I hate myself haha. Okay. Anyway. Guys, just one big thank you to all those who have favorited/followed this story. I honestly love all the feedback, especially the reviewers; RHatch89, hinataonicha (twice because I forgot you the last time!), NeverlandDust, a. Paper. heaRt, Valkyrie101, winchesterxgirl, CourtneyxWolf725, Guest, Guest and BrittWitt16! Thank you all so much! I honestly appreciate you all so much! So let me know what you think! xxx **_


	5. Chapter 5

"_So you're there now?" _Connor asked. I crossed my ankles as my legs rested on the booth in front of me. I slid down and sipped my drink as I nodded.

"Yeah, just waiting." I looked around the burger joint, trying to see if Allison had walked in. She wasn't late or anything like that. I was just early because Stiles dropped me off after we found Scott.

"So Derek Hale." I stated, getting onto the reason I had called my brother, "What's the deal with him?"

"_Like I said, his sister Laura used to babysit us. You would always play that Pretty Pretty Princess game." _Connor said it as if I should've remembered. There was nothing, not even a faint burry scene.

"If I remembered it this would be the time I went _ooooooohhh_." I crossed my arm over my chest.

"_You seriously don't remember_?"

"How old was I?" I asked back.

_"Like ten_." Connor immediately responded, "_Derek's only a couple years older than me."_

"So you needed a babysitter when you were fourteen?" I asked, looking around Toby's. "What? Mom didn't trust you?"

"_What? No! She just felt better with Laura there. All Laura really did was watch you while Derek and I played outside."_

_"_You were friends with Derek?" I asked, brow furrowing.

"_Yeah, kinda. We said hi to each other in the hallway." _

"Did he seem…weird to you?"

"_Weird? How so?" _Connor asked as Allison came into Toby's.

"Uh, you know what? I gotta go. Ally's here."

"_He was a cool guy, Lele. Nothing to worry about."_

_"_Kay, bye." I quickly said as Allison spotted me. I pushed up in my seat and gave a little wave as she bounded over.

"Hey, sorry." She breathlessly said. I gave her a small smile.

"Nothing to be sorry about. You are right on time." I said, tilting my drink at her, "I ordered a shit ton of food so help yourself."

"Thanks." Allison gave me a smile and reached for a fry. I set my drink down and folded my arms on top of the table. "Looks like you had a crazy night." Allison said, giving me a knowing look, "You're in the same outfit from last night."

"Oh, I—" I started to come up with a lie.

"Did it have something to do with Stiles?" Allison asked, raising her eyebrows as she chewed around her fry. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped on instinct. Then I started laughing.

"No, oh my God, no. No." I waved my hands in front of me, "God, no. I would rather like have something horrible and bad that I can't think of an example for happen to me instead." Allison grinned at me, shifting in her seat as she took another fry.

"So then why didn't you change?"

"So I talked to Scott." I bluntly changed the subject. Allison's chews slowed a bit before she swallowed and blinked.

"Oh?" She asked, trying to act like it was no big deal.

"You have a right to be mad, you know." I said, leaning forward and cocking a brow, "I mean, I'd be mad too." Allison reached for another fry and shrugged.

"I'm not mad."

"And I'm the President of the United States." I said back, giving her a look. Allison shifted in her seat before letting out a sigh.

"Okay, I'm mad." She propped an elbow on the table and rested her hand against the side of her face.

"Sooo convincing." I waved my hands in the air, "Ally, he left you at the party alone and we had to get a ride from my old babysitter."

"I thought his sister babysat you."

"Semantics." I made a face, "The point is that you are supposed to be mad. Like _I strongly dislike him right now_ mad." I slapped my hand on the table. Allison gave me a look and nodded.

"You're right. I am mad." She dropped her hand down, "He left me _stranded _at the party. And he didn't call or text or do anything to make sure I was okay!" I pulled back my chin into my chest.

"Wait, he didn't?" I asked.

"Nope!" Allison shook her head, "And to think that I was—"

"Scott didn't call you." I cut Allison off, "Or text you or anything?"

"No! Which is why I am completely and totally done with him." I felt my stomach drop. Shit.

"No, no no no, you can't." I put my hands up in the air, "No, you have to give him a second chance."

"Why?" Allison asked.

"Because Scott _really _likes you."

"But you just told me I should be mad at him." Allison looked confused.

"I like to play devil's advocate. It's a character flaw." I shrugged, "But you have to give him a second chance. He made the worst mistake, yes, but knowing Scott, it won't happen again." I grabbed a fry as Allison took my drink.

"Well, have you talked to him?" Allison asked before taking a sip of my drink. I nodded as I chewed.

"Yeah, yeah I have."

"So he talks to you, but not to me." Allison stated with a groan, "Great."

"Hey! He's my best friend. I've known him since sandbox days." I pointed a fry at her, "I forced him to talk to me. I'm not some desperate girlfriend waiting around." And as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew it was the wrong thing to say. Allison's face fell and she looked down at her lap.

"Shit, Ally." I started to slide down in my seat, "Ally, I didn't mean it—that came out wrong."

"I'm not desperate and I'm not his girlfriend." Allison said, glancing at me, "I'm not as close as you are with him, I get that. I don't feel comfortable forcing him to talk to me."

"I know. I know." I pushed up in my seat, "Allison, I'm so sorry. Sometimes I say things without thinking and it's another character flaw." Allison didn't say anything. I chewed on my thumbnail for a moment, "We talked about mostly you though." I said, getting her attention.

"What?" Allison softly asked.

"Yeah, he kept saying that he was most worried about you." I gave her a small smile, "He doesn't know what to do."

"Could start by apologizing." Allison mumbled. I gave her a small smile.

"I think you should give him a hard time about it."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" I made a face, "Make him work for it. He sure as hell deserves it." I blew out a breath. Allison was considering it, I could tell. I debated apologizing again for hurting her feelings. I didn't mean it, just like I didn't mean a lot of things I said.

"Okay." Allison finally said with a nod. I nodded back at her, making a face before returning to my resting expression.

"And I am sorry about what I said." I slumped forward on the table a bit.

"I know." Allison gave me a small smile as she reached for another fry, "So tell me about you and Stiles." She said before popping the fry into her mouth.

"Nothing to tell." I said, shrugging my shoulders, "I hate him, he hates me, we tolerate each other to a degree when we're around Scott and that's it."

"You sure?" Allison asked. I felt my eyes narrow a bit.

"Positive." Allison smiled a bit, I gave her a look, "What? You don't believe me?"

"No I do! I just think it's cute." Allison shrugged a bit.

"You think it's cute that I hate him." I repeated, a little lost.

"Sure." Allison nodded a bit, a knowing smile on her face. I gave her a look before shaking my head.

"Okay, well this was fun, but I have to go home and shower and interact with my family so they don't think I'm some recluse or dead or something." I sighed and started to gather my things.

"Oh, do you need a ride?" Allison asked, sitting up a bit. I shook my head and lifted up my board.

"I'm good." I gave her a smile as I slid out of the booth. Allison gave me a nod as I stood above her. "Should we like hug or something? I don't really know how this whole girl friendship thing works…" I trailed off, scratching my temple. Allison laughed a bit as she stared up at me.

"How bout just a _see you Monday_?" I snorted and rocked back on my heels.

"That could work just as well." I paused, "I'll see you Monday, Allison." I said, making a face. Allison lifted her hand in a wave as I walked away from the table.

I went out of Toby's and put my board down, heading off back to home. I was pretty sure I was making progress with Allison. I didn't know how or why, but it was progress. I had to admit that the Argent girl was beginning to grow on me. And I could see exactly why Scott had a major crush on her.

I left my board on the stoop in order to unlock the front door. Mom's cruiser wasn't in the drive and I didn't know if Dad parked in the garage, but I was hoping that he wasn't home either. I didn't feel up to getting teased about staying out all night.

"Bout time you showed up." Dad said as he walked out of the living room, sandwich in hand. I slumped down and let the front door shut behind me.

"Sorry." I lamely said as I dropped my keys in the key bowl. Dad reached in to fish his out as he gave me a look.

"That's it?"

"Uh, it won't happen again?" I asked, making a face. Dad stared at me for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, sounds good." He grabbed his jacket and kissed my cheek, "But we're gonna have to talk about this after my shift."

"Rather not." I said.

"Well, then you can just deal with Mom alone." Dad winked at me. I groaned as I turned around to watch him leave.

"I was with Scott, if that helps." I added as he opened the front door.

"Meh, a little." Dad shrugged before walking out of the house. He shut the door behind him, leaving me alone. Webster came up and nuzzled my ankle until I reached down and picked him up. I turned away from the door and started for the stairs.

My parents loved Scott. They thought he was the best influence in my life. And truthfully, he was. He never got into trouble, was a semi good student and he was the sweetest person. Much better than Stiles, who was the worst influence ever and I didn't understand why Scott liked hanging out with him.

I went over to my window and unlocked the doors, pushing them out so Scott knew it was okay to come over. I rested my hands against the sill and peered out the window, waiting for Scott's window to open. I saw him climb onto his bed and push open his window. I waved to him and stepped away from the window as he climbed out of his bedroom window.

"You haven't called Allison? Or texted? What is _wrong _with you?" I started berating him as soon as he got to the window.

"I was nervous! What am I supposed to say?" Scott asked as he climbed into my room. I stepped back and crossed my arms as Scott swatted the cage swing out of his way.

"Uh, _hey Ally I'm not dead, just a massive idiot_." I made my voice deeper. Scott gave me an unamused look.

"I can't tell her I'm a werewolf." Scott shook his head as he went over to my bed, "She'll think I'm a freak." I took in a breath and scratched my temple.

"You're not a freak, Scott. You're….incredibly unlucky." I sighed out as I went over and sat next to him on the bed. Our backs were against the window, legs out straight.

"But I didn't even tell you the worst part." Scott looked to me. I raised my eyebrows. "I was shot at."

"Shot at?" I repeated, brow furrowing. Scott nodded and looked forward again.

"By a crossbow."

"What the fuck?" I asked, staring at him, "Should I tell my mom? We could get them arrested. It's not hunting season."

"I don't think they were out there hunting deer." Scott said, "Pretty sure they were hunting me and Derek."

"Why Derek?"

"Cause he's a werewolf too." Scott simply said, "He's the werewolf who bit me and killed the girl in the woods. I told Stiles to warn you." I gave Scott a look and he sighed, "You're right, my mistake."

"I mean, Stiles told me that Derek was the one who bit you, but I didn't know about the girl."

"Yeah…I mean he saved me from the hunters."

"So you owe him." I stated.

"No!" Scott cried out, "I don't owe him anything, he did this to me. I don't even want it!" I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment.

"You gotta admit it's pretty cool." Scott opened his mouth to argue, "I mean, think about it! You have all these enhanced reflexes, you don't need your inhaler anymore, you're gonna _kill _it on the field on Saturday and everyone's gonna be cheering _McCall! McCall! McCall!_" I grinned at him, "It's a pretty sweet deal just from being bit."

"What about the being hunted? Or changing every full moon? Those aren't fun." Scott pointed out. I blew out my cheeks before releasing a breath.

"Well, we can work around those." I laughed a bit before softly punching Scott's shoulder, "The good outweighs the bad, dude."

"I still didn't ask for it." Scott grumbled, "And I'm still not happy about Derek taking you and Allison home last night."

"He's really not a bad guy." I spoke the words before thinking and then immediately clamped my mouth shut.

"Are you kidding me!?" Scott all about shouted, "He _bit _me! He killed the girl in the woods and you're saying he's _not a bad guy?_"

"I meant to say Connor said he's not a bad guy." I made a face.

"And how would Connor know?" Scott asked, not believing a word I said.

"Cause…_apparently _his sister babysat me when I was younger."

"I don't remember that." Scott instantly said.

"Me either! But it happened."

"Did you ask your mom about it?"

"I've kinda been hiding out because I don't want to get reprimanded by her for staying out all night." I rubbed my temples.

"Well, you were searching for me." Scott matter of factly said, "I'll explain it to her."

"Oh? Oh, you'll tell her you're a werewolf and shifted last night and wandered around the woods?" My eyebrows were raised, "How do you think that'd go over?"

"Right, you're right." Scott sighed and ran a hand through the mop of hair on his head, "Just because Connor says Derek's not a bad guy, doesn't mean it's true."

"Scott, Connor never lies. It's like his thing." I stared at my best friend, "You know that as well as I do." Scott sighed and rolled over on the bed.

"I still don't trust or like him." Scott grumbled into the pillow. I patted his back and let out a sigh to match his. We fell into a comfortable silence for a couple minutes before Scott moved his head so half of his face was against the pillow and the other half was in the air and able to look at me.

"Isn't it the first Saturday of the month?" He asked, voice kinda muffled.

"Unfortunately." I sighed, looking down at him. "I'm not going though."

"Why? You can't get _sick _every first Saturday." Scott pointed out.

"I have work." I airily said with a smug grin on my face. "And there's no one to cover for me."

"Your mom's still gonna try to make you go."

"Thus, why I'm staying up here until it's too late." I motioned to my room. Scott rolled his eyes and picked himself up so he was sitting Indian style on the bed.

"Well, I have to go. Mom wants to get dinner before her shift." Scott said, climbing off of the bed.

"I thought you were going to be my company for the next hour." I pouted as Scott started for the window.

"I promised her…" Scott started, "I mean, I guess—"

"Scott, I'm joking. Go." I waved my hand at him, "It's fine."

"You sure?" Scott asked. I nodded at him and pulled my knees to my chest.

"Positive. I'm gonna do some research and try to get ahead on this werewolf stuff." I rested the side of my face on my knee. Scott gave me a little smile.

"Thanks, Leah." He said before climbing out the window. I smiled to myself before climbing off the bed and going to close the window.

I did exactly as I told Scott I was going to do, I researched. I tried to go as in depth and even deeper than Stiles did. I read articles and watched videos and found other semi related cases. I searched all that I could, coming upon two hundred paged articles along with some notes on certain things. I even started searching on the Hale family. There was only the article on the fire, which killed most of the family except for Laura, Derek and their uncle Peter. The only picture that looked familiar was the one of Derek because I had seen him the previous night.

There was a knock on my door, startling me into minimizing my search tabs and pulling up my Google homepage. I looked around myself to see papers strewn about. There was another knock and I faltered for a moment.

"Uh, hold on!" I called out before grabbing a few strewn pieces of paper while spinning around in my chair. I shoved them into the bottom drawer of my desk.

"Is everything okay?" Mom asked as she walked in. I spun around in my chair and gave her a charming smile.

"Just you know, browsing for porn. Didn't wanna be caught. The usual." I made a face. Mom eyed me before laughing.

"You're so weird."

"I'm _your _daughter." I reminded her.

"Sometimes I think not." Mom gave me a bemused smile, "Sometimes I think you were switched at the hospital with another baby and my real daughter is a straight A student who doesn't sass me or make crude sex jokes."

"But what would be the fun in that?" I asked, raising a hand and then dropping it, "She's probably stuck up too." I made my eyes wider, "Do you really want that?"

"Eh…" Mom moved her shoulders around before crossing her arms. "I think I'll stick with what I have." I snorted and glanced at my laptop before looking back at her.

"So what's up?" I asked, shifting in my seat.

"I wanted to talk to you about last night." Mom said. I started to groan and protest.

"Ma, if you had just done what I asked and forbid me from going we wouldn't—"

"Just call next time, okay?" Mom cut me off. I pulled back, dropping my chin to my chest.

"Excuse me?" I asked back, "Who are you and what have you done with my mother?"

"I'm not mad. Dad said you were with Scott and the sheriff said that you were with Stiles taking care of Scott because he got sick."

"Right." I pointed a finger gun at Mom, "Scott was throwing up everywhere it was _disgusting_." I made a face.

"That's what Stiles told the sheriff." Mom nodded, "But just call next time, or text since that's what you kids do nowadays." I gave her a thumbs up.

"Got it."

"And start getting ready, we're leaving in five."

"Ooooo, bout that." I made a face, "I have work in ten."

"Since when?" Mom asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Since…always." I blinked a couple times.

"I thought you didn't work Saturday nights." I made a face.

"Sorry." Mom gave me a look then sighed before waving a hand at me and walking away. I nodded to myself and reached out to close my laptop. I pushed out of my chair and went over to the edge of my bed and grabbing my shoes and heading for the door.

I grabbed my jacket from the coat rack, slipping into it and spotting Mom working in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen as I slipped my jacket on. I leaned against the counter as she mixed something in the white bowl.

"I'm sorry." I lamely said. Mom looked up at me and let out a sigh.

"I don't get it, honey. You used to be close with Stiles."

"Past tense, Mom. I'm not close with him anymore. He's an—"

"Asshole." Mom finished, "So you've told me. But we've just started this diner up again. It's been years since you've come to one. When you were little, you and Stiles would go through Connor's comic book collection and—"

"I don't have time for a trip down memory lane, Mom." I cut Mom off rather harshly. Mom screwed her mouth to the side and sighed.

"One day, I'll be dead and you're gonna miss me." Mom said her usual catchphrase.

"But that day is not today." I said, pushing back from the counter. Mom rolled her eyes at me.

"I'll tell the sheriff you said that you're incredibly sorry and you'll cook him something in apologies." Mom returned her attention back to the bowl. I snorted.

"Sounds good." I tapped the counter with my knuckle, "Bye, Mom."

"Be safe, honey." Mom sang out as I walked away from her. I walked into the foyer and grabbed my keys, shoving them into my pocket with one hand while the other hand opened the front door. I stepped outside and picked up my board, jogging down the stairs and heading towards the video store.

The first Saturday of every month was what Connor deemed _THE FIRST DINNER _or TFD which basically was when all of us went over to the Stilinski's and ate dinner or vice a versa. It was a tradition that started when Mom got hired and the sheriff invited her over for dinner with Dad. And then it became a monthly thing.

I don't remember much from when I was younger, mostly because I suck at remembering things, but those dinners were one of the things stuck in my head. It was like a bad song I couldn't get out of my head, except I kind of liked the tune, just not the lyrics.

Obviously, I don't remember the first time I went to TFD, but I remember a couple times. And since Stiles and I were the same age, we would always be stuck with each other at the kiddie table, playing with his action figures while eating Mac and Cheese. It was, admittedly, kinda fun.

But then Claudia got worse and the dinners stopped until a couple years ago when Dad suggested we start them up again at Connor's grad party. And that's when I would make up excuses just so I didn't have to see the Stiles outside of school or when I was forced to hang out with him and Scott. I would do anything, even take an extra shift at work, which was about a hundred times better than sitting across from Stiles for a certain amount of hours.

For a Saturday night, the store was unsurprisingly empty. No one rented movies anymore since there were sites that let you illegally watch them and such. Jackson did come in to get _The Notebook _for the umpteenth time. I didn't even bother to hide my smirk as I rang him up. And then I proceeded to make a whip noise and motion.

"Shut up, Kane." Jackson spat out as he yanked the movie from my hand. I just smirked.

"Like clockwork." I sang out as he stomped away from me.

Other than that, the store was empty. I shelved some things, just so I could get some blood flowing. I made sure the right discs were in the right cases as I chewed on a Twizzler. My headphones were around my neck and _Some Like it Hot _was playing on the TVs.

I felt someone tap my shoulder and I instinctively whirled around, Twizzler in one hand and a DVD in another, ready to attack. Derek's smirking face stared back at me.

"You're taking this babysitting thing to a whole new level." I mused, turning back around to place the DVD on the shelf, "You know, now they call it _stalking_."

"I never babysat you." Derek chuckled as I walked back to the counter.

"Oh. so you're just a stalker?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Who peed in your cereal?" Derek easily asked.

"I just have an aversion to interacting with people who bite." I said, turning around with my arms crossed.

"Then you better stay away from your best friend." Derek smoothly said. I felt my eyes narrow.

"You're good at this."

"My sister taught me."

"The one who _actually _babysat me." I made a face, "And yet, I can't remember her." I made a noise, "Interesting." I tapped my finger against my chin before going around the counter and leaning my elbows against the desk.

"You're so cold." Derek whispered.

"Are you trying to flirt with me?" I asked, realizing what he was doing as I straightened up. Derek's eyebrows rose.

"_Please."_ Derek scoffed, "One time I had to clean up your nose blood cause a basketball hit you in the face."

"Cause _Connor_ threw a basketball at my face." I finished, remembering what he was saying.

"Well, he passed to you and you weren't ready and it hit your face." Derek mimed it. My jaw opened a bit as the memory came back.

"That was you!? _You _took care of me?!" I gasped, "No, wait, I thought it was broken."

"It was. I snapped it back into place."

"Oh my God!" I made a face as I rubbed my nose absentmindly, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I laughed. Derek shrugged.

"I didn't want Laura to find out. She was getting you a sandwich, uh, what was it…peanut butter and—"

"Fluff." I said at the same Derek did. "So weird." I whispered, "I don't really remember anything else about Laura or you or Pretty Pretty Princess."

"You were young." Derek shrugged, "It's okay."

"And here I wasn't in the mood for a trip down memory lane." I mumbled.

"Well, you got one." Derek answered. I looked at him, not realizing he could hear me.

"Right, werewolf hearing." I sighed and planted my hands on the desk, "So did you come here for some ulterior motive like scaring me into not saying anything cause I'm about eighty eight percent sure you aren't the type to come find out where a girl works just so you can chat about the past." Derek held up a movie and flashed me a grin.

"Oh, wow, okay." I made a face and took it from him, "Awkward."

"But, Leah, you do need to be careful." Derek quietly said, "Scott's a time bomb right now. He's unstable and the slightest things can set him off. Call me if anything happens." Derek slid a piece of paper over the counter with his number on it. I left it there and handed back his movie.

"It's gonna be three dollars." I said, all sense of the past and the joking gone. Derek handed me the money and nodded at me.

"Have a safe night, Leah." He said in parting.

"Well, that was oddly foreboding." I mumbled as I tapped my hands against the desk to a random beat. I moved my mouth around before falling back on my heel and letting out a sigh only to have it be cut off by the door chiming again.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding." I grumbled as Stiles loped in. I debated ducking down or going into the back, but Jack was on break. I was stuck.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck." I whispered over and over as Stiles went straight for the supernatural genre. I anxiously tapped my fingers on the counter as I thought of ways to get out of the situation, but none of them seemed fast enough or silent enough.

And then Stiles came out of the aisle, three DVDs in his hands and a disgusted look on his face, "You guys really lack in the werewolf genre, you know that?"

"Maybe because they're all checked out." I shot back.

"Heh, yeah, highly doubtful." Stiles scoffed, "Whatta pay ya here? A dollar?"

"More than you get paid." I yanked the movies from his hand. "Why aren't you at TFD?"

"I was at TFD and then the parentals started talking work so I slipped out."

"Didn't think to stay in case they said anything about the body?" I asked as I scanned the movies.

"Shit." Stiles whispered. I shook my head at him.

"And you're the smart one, why?" I asked.

"Because you're the bitch. And Scott's the puppy." Stiles instantly responded.

"Literally."

"Technically he's a wolf."

"You should probably stop talking about it in public." I made a face as I looked at him, "Nine dollars." I put another Twizzler in my mouth and shifted my weight as Stiles dug into his pocket for a few crumpled bills.

"Hey, some tweaker give you his number?" Stiles asked, picking up the piece of paper Derek scribbled his number on.

"Derek Hale dropped by." I simply said, reaching for the paper. Stiles drew his hand back and gave me a wide eyed look.

"Derek Hale. As in murderer Derek Hale. And you _flirted with him!?_" Stiles shouted out.

"What!? No!" I scoffed, lunging for the paper, "No, he was flirting with me."

"Yeah, nice one." Stiles snorted, "Then why is his number on this paper given to you instead of the other way around?"

"Because—" I reached for it again, "Idiot! Give me the paper!" Stiles gave me a look, "He gave it to me in case anything happened with Scott." I gave in. Stiles faltered. I snagged the paper out of his hand, but ended up ripping it in half. I looked up at the ceiling.

"Why, God? Why?" I whispered out, blinking a bit.

"Derek gave you his number in case anything happened with Scott." Stiles repeated slowly.

"Yes." I slowly said back. Stiles' jaw clicked and he stomped his foot.

"Ridiculous. Nothing's gonna happen with Scott. He's _fine_." Stiles pushed his chin out, "I can take care of him."

"Not without my help." I said.

"Uh, what do you bring to the table? Hmmm?" Stiles bobbed his head, "Nothing. You have nothing."

"I have Derek's number."

"Not anymore." Stiles shoved his half of the paper into his pocket and spun away from me. I gaped at him.

"Dick move, Spazz!" I cried out after him, "Dick! Move!"

"You'll forget about it in a few minutes, Barbie!" Stiles shouted back, waving the movies over his head as he stomped out of the store.

"Asshole." I grumbled as I ripped the Twizzler apart.

* * *

_**A/N: So sorry for the wait! I was dealing with some personal issues and writers block is a massive bee with an itch. BUT!**_

_**A huge thank you to all those who have favorited/followed! I love reading your reactions, so a major shout out to my reviewers: RHatch89, BrittWitt16, Readingbeyongyourvocab, Valkyrie101, winchesterxgirl, a. Paper. heaRt, Jeanie Bae, CourtneyxWolf725, and Little Red Roses! **_


	6. Chapter 6

I slammed my locker door shut as I pulled up my elbow pads. I looked down at myself, the upside down '42' staring at me. I blew out a breath and looked around the empty girls' locker room. I spun around and let the noise of my cleats against the floor echo around the room as I walked out into the hall. I headed down to the boys' locker room and spotted Scott coming down the hall.

"Did you talk to her?" I called out to him. Scott didn't even acknowledge me as he turned into the boys' locker room. I felt my brow furrow as I followed after him. He was supposed to talk to Allison about the weekend. I had been working him up to it all week and he just kept chickening out. Allison was keeping true to her word and giving Scott the silent treatment. I was oddly proud of her, but Scott needed to grow a pair and tell her he was sorry.

"Scott." I followed him into the locker room, "Did you talk to Allison? I just need a yes or a no—"

"Kane!" One of the guys shouted, "Dude!"

"Oh, shut up." I rolled my eyes, "You just called me _dude_." I looked at Max, who give me a wide eyed look while he stood in his towel. I rolled my eyes again and put my hand over my eyes.

"Happy, Max?" I sang out. He grumbled in response. I smirked a bit before feeling someone slam into me.

"Hey!" I dropped my hand from my eyes. I glared at Stiles as he gave me a cocky grin. I rolled my eyes and followed after him. "How can you be an asshole throughout the entire day? Doesn't it ever get tiring?"

"Does it ever get tiring being a bitch?" Stiles shot back as we weaved through the locker room. He glanced over his shoulder at me to see my middle finger up and an unamused expression on my face. Stiles turned back as we passed Scott and I stopped walking as Stiles kept going before backtracking.

"Hey!" Stiles crooned, "Did you apologize to Allison?"

"Yeah." Scott breathed out. I let out a groan of frustration and rolled my head back.

"So you'll answer him, but not me?" I asked out. Stiles looked at me.

"Because I'm his best friend. Of course he's going to answer me, not the bottle blonde bitch."

"For the last time, you've known me since I was eight and my hair's been the same color."

"I don't know that. Maybe you started dyeing it when you were really young—"

"Is she giving you a second chance or…" I cut Stiles off with the more important question.

"Yeah." Scott said in the same tone he answered Stiles before.

"Yeah! All right." Stiles bobbed his head with a smile, "So everything's good." He said, mainly to himself as he started to walk away. Scott didn't look good. He was sweating and a little pale. I chewed on my bottom lip as Scott managed out a,

"No." Stiles came back round the corner, eyebrows raised.

"No?" We both asked at the same time. I shot Stiles a glare as Stiles shot me one.

"Remember…the hunters?"

"Of course I remember the hunters, you told me that they—"

"Her dad is one of 'em." Scott cut me off. I felt my jaw drop as Stiles shifted his weight.

"Her dad-?" Stiles started

"Shot me—" Scott overlapped as I crossed my arms.

"Allison's father…?" I asked, brow furrowing.

"With a crossbow." Scott whispered out. I glanced at Stiles to see how he was reacting. His hand was on his hip and he looked a little confused as he rolled forward and went,

"Allison's father—"

"Yes! Her father!" Scott shouted out. I looked around the locker room, grateful that it had pretty much cleared out before Scott started talking about crossbows and hunters.

"Oh, my God." Scott whispered and I knew he was getting himself worked up. I looked over to see him freaking out.

"No, Scott." Stiles shoved in front of me to get to my best friend. He slapped Scott's face as Scott made his pained puppy dog expression.

"What am I gonna do?" Scott asked.

"Snap back. You okay? Hey, all right? He didn't recognize you, right?" Stiles asked as Scott continued to freak. Scott stopped when Stiles asked if Mr. Argent recognized him.

"No. N-no. I don't think so."

"Does she know about him?" Stiles asked his next question.

"Oh, I don't know. What if she does?" Scott started to get worked up again, "She's gonna kill me, man." He whined out as he slammed his head back against the locker. Finstock's whistle echoed through the locker room, signaling the start of practice.

"Okay, just focus on lacrosse." Stiles started getting Scott's gear out of the locker and shoving it at Scott, "Okay, here, Scott. Take this. Take this, and focus on lacrosse for now, okay? That's all you gotta do, yeah?"

"Lacrosse." Scott mumbled as Stiles hit Scott's shoulder.

"Here we go!" With every word spoken, Stiles slammed his hand against Scott's shoulder before walking past me and out to the field. I stepped up to Scott as he dropped his pads to the ground.

"Scott, come on." I said as he rested his head back again, "You're first line, you've gotta go out there."

"Did she say anything to you? About werewolves?" Scott asked.

"Oh, yeah, totally, we had a nice conversation about them…" I trailed off and gave Scott a look, "No, we didn't." Scott whined again, but he started to pick up his pads.

"What if she knows? Her dad tried to kill me." He whispered.

"But like, isn't that in the Dad Code? To threaten and try to kill your daughter's boyfriend? Maybe he was just scaring you." I shrugged. Scott gave me a look. I sighed, "Or not."

"Just gotta focus on lacrosse like Stiles said." Scott said as he walked past me.

"Oh so now we're listening to Spazz Attack!" I called after him, "Suddenly he's the one with all the great ideas!?"

"Don't see you coming up with any better ones!" Scott called back. I grumbled but followed after my best friend.

Coach had us doing one on ones for the first actual practice of the season. He made Jackson the defense and the rest of us the offense. I ended up behind Scott a little ways in the back of the line. Stiles was further back even though he had gotten out onto the field before us.

I watched almost every one on first line get knocked on their asses because of Jackson. I had to admit that Jackson was a really good player, but he didn't have the speed or the reflexes Scott now did and I was so excited to see the two of them go up against each other.

"McCall!" Coach called out, getting Scott's attention, "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Coach blew his whistle and Scott kicked off into a run. I gripped my lacrosse stick a bit tighter as Scott got closer to Jackson…only to watch Jackson knock Scott on his ass. I grimaced and made a little noise as Scott rolled on the ground.

"Hey, McCall. Hey, McCall!" Coach sounded like he was laughing as he went over to Scott. Jackson stood over him and I could only imagine the smug smirk on his face.

"My-my grandmother can move faster than that." Coach said as Scott got to his feet, "And she's dead. You think you can move faster than the lifeless corpse of my dead grandmother?" I chewed on my bottom lip as Coach talked to Scott.

"Yes, Coach." Scott mumbled, but it was loud enough for all of us to hear.

"I can't hear you." Coach taunted. I shook my head in disbelief. Coach was a real dick sometimes.

"Yes, Coach." Scott said a bit louder, but it sounded like there was a little growl to it. Coach patted Scott's back and whispered something in Scott's ear before straightening up. Scott jogged back to the line as Coach walked away, waving his hand in the air.

"McCall's gonna do it again! McCall's gonna do it again!" He said in a taunting voice. Scott stopped right in front of me and I could see his eyes flash gold. I glanced behind me at Stiles, who was staring at Scott intently. Oh this was so not gonna end well.

"Let's go!" Coach blew his whistle and Scott took off. I watched him scoop up the ball and head straight for Jackson just as he did previously. Except this time instead of Scott being knocked back, Jackson was. And hard. And he didn't get back up. And everyone took in a breath as they grimaced. Scott fell to his knees, clutching his head. Oh shit.

Stiles ran past me, and over to Scott as everyone else surged forward to Jackson. Coach was yelling at everyone to give Jackson some room while Scott and Stiles were off to the side. I ran up to the two boys, only to be stopped by Coach yelling at me to stay on the field. I felt my jaw click, but complied, standing a few ways off as the sound of an ambulance got closer. I watched Scott and Stiles run off to the locker room before my gaze fell on a familiar leather jacketed man. Derek was intently watching Scott before his eyes flicked over to me. He raised his eyebrows as if to say _told you so._

A few minutes later, I saw Dad hurrying over to the side of the field where Coach had taken Jackson. The boys still hadn't reappeared. I was sitting on the bench when Coach waved me over. I hurried over as Dad carefully looked over Jackson.

"Kane, go with Jackson to the hospital."

"Excuse me?" I said, blinking, "Why would I do that?"

"Cause I'm your Coach. You listen to what I tell you to do."

"And he's my father." I pointed to Dad, "I don't listen to what he tells me to do." Coach looked from me to Dad, who shrugged, before grumbling to himself.

"Kane, go with Jackson and I'll give you an A in Econ." I raised my eyebrows.

"Even if I fail the next three tests plus the midterm?" I bargained. Coach grumbled again and I heard _damn kids_.

"Yes, fine, just go!" Coach waved his hands at me. I grinned at him.

"Pleasure doing business with you." I saluted Coach and walked over to the ambulance. I climbed in the back and shut the door behind me, letting Dad know he could go.

Jackson stared at me in silence the entire ride. I rested my head against the wall and looked around at all the fun things in the ambulance. "Sooo…" I started, "How's it going?"

"Your little boyfriend knocked my ass to the ground." Jackson grumbled.

"Oh I saw." I grinned at Jackson, "And it was _hilarious_."

"Not gonna be so funny when I tell Coach he's on steroids." Jackson shot back. I raised my eyebrows.

"Hmm, well they're probably gonna give you a shot of cortisone for your shoulder so you can play in Saturday's game and if you tell Coach that _Scott's _on drugs, then he'll have to test the whole team and when your pee comes up positive, you'll have to sit out." I sighed and shrugged, "Then I'll get to play as will Scott because Scott isn't on drugs!" I laughed a bit. Jackson fixed me with a glare. "Nice try though. Really, A for effort." I held up my hand to make an _okay _sign.

Dad helped Jackson out of the ambulance first and passed him off to another medic before helping me down. I brushed myself off as I looked around the hospital and let out a sigh.

"Really nice of you to come with Jackson." Dad commented.

"I was forced to come." I corrected Dad as we walked into the hospital. Dad chuckled and wrapped his arm around me.

"Do you know what happened?"

"Scott slammed into him at an awkward angle and Jackson went down." I shrugged.

"From what I saw, it looked like he had a separated shoulder. The doctors are gonna check it out more thoroughly though, but I'm not sure he can play in Saturday's game. And I can't let you be with him since you're not family."

"Thankfully." I mumbled under my breath.

"Do you have any of his family's contact info?" Dad asked. I gave him a look, "Or his girlfriend's contact info?"

"I think I might have Lydia's. We worked on a group project together once." I shivered, "I don't understand why teachers pair people together who they know hate each other, like I would work much better and get the job done faster with Scott than with that prissy—"

"Call her. Tell her what happened." Dad cut me off, "Tell her to call his parents."

"Fine." I grumbled and stepped away from Dad to pull my phone out of my warmup pants. There were seven unread messages from Stiles and three voicemails. I deleted the voicemails without listening and went to the texts.

_Where the hell are you?_

_God, why do I even bother? Scott wolfed out today and you just disappear! This is what I mean by bringing nothing to the table._

_Barbie! Did you get your post practice mani while I was trying not to die by the hands or claws of Scott?!_

_ANSWER ME!_

_Fine. Whatever. Scott wolfed out today on the field and tried to kill me in the locker room while you were off gallivanting with Derek probably._

_Coach just told me you went with Jackson._

_You need to tell me what happened. _

I exited out of my inbox and went into my contacts, searching for Lydia. I took in a deep breath and pressed the call button on her name. I placed my phone to my ear and listen to it ring. She picked up on the third one.

_"I'm flattered, Leah, but I really don't want to experiment right now. And if I did, I'd have higher standards than you."_ Lydia instantly said.

"Yeah, fuck this." I scoffed, "I was calling to tell you that your precious boy toy is in the hospital, but since you answered like that, I don't really think you deserve to know why." I made a face. There was a pause.

_"I'm sorry what? Did you just say Jackson was in the hospital?"_ Lydia asked.

"Actually, I said boy toy, but I'm oddly impressed that you knew who I was talking about. You must not have as many as I thought." I mused.

_"Well, why is here there? What did you do?"_

"Ha! Oh my God, classic Lydia." I shook my head, "I didn't do a damn thing to him. I was just forced to ride to the hospital with him to make sure he didn't die."

_"Tell him I'm on my way."_ Lydia quickly said.

"And make sure you call his parents." I added, "Don't know how they would survive without their golden boy."

_"Thank you, Leah."_ Lydia said. I was taken aback a bit.

"What did you just say?" I asked, making sure I wasn't hearing things.

_"You heard me."_ Lydia grumbled on the other line. I had heard right.

"Did you just thank me?" I asked, surprised and a little amused, "Oh, I'm never gonna let you live this one down."

_"Whatever. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about you trying to pull any moves on Jackson."_

"Trust me, he's not my type." I shot back.

_"Oh, I know."_ Lydia smugly said. I rolled my eyes.

"Hanging up before you make another lesbian joke!" I sang out before hanging up the phone. I let out a huff and looked down at my screen to go to Stiles' contact. I pressed the call button and took in a breath.

"_So what's the verdict_?" Stiles asked as he picked up.

"Separated shoulder. They don't know if he's going to be able to play Saturday's game." I quickly said back, not wanting to spend a lot of time on the phone with Stiles.

_"Damn."_ Stiles blew out a breath.

"Uh, what happened in the locker room?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck with my free hand. Stiles was quiet for a moment.

_"Scott wolfed out in the locker room and tried to kill me."_ Stiles simply said.

"So it's getting worse. He can't control it." I realized.

_"Lacrosse makes him angry and when he's angry—"_

"He goes all Hulk." I finished with a sigh. "Fuck, okay. I'll figure something out."

"_We'll."_ Stiles corrected me.

"So we're working together now." I stated.

_"Two heads are better than one._"

"Especially if one can't concentrate for five seconds—"

_"And the other one killed all her brain cells dyeing her hair."_ I rolled my eyes.

"Bye Stiles." I said before hanging up on him. Dad came out into the hall and gave me a smile.

"Lydia is on her way with Jackson's parents." I said, waving the phone at him. Dad nodded.

"Okay." He blew out a breath and put his hands on his hips, "I'm here for the rest of the night so I can come to the game on Saturday."

"Oh, Dad, you don't have to—"

"I want to, Lele." Dad gave me a small smile, "You're my favorite daughter, of course I'm going to be at the game." Dad paused, "But are you okay getting home?"

"I can walk home." I said with a smile, "Not that far."

"You sure? It's getting pretty dark out." Dad gave me a concerned look. I shrugged.

"There are streetlights. I'll be fine." Dad nodded and pulled me into a hug. He smelled like hospital, just like Mom always smelled like the sheriff's station. Dad kissed the top of my head and let me go.

"Be safe." I nodded and pulled away from him. I walked out of the hospital just as Lydia came running in, hair flying behind her. I gave her a small smile as she nodded at me before I turned to walk home.

Mom wasn't home when I got home, but there was a note saying that she would be back for dinner. So I started getting the ingredients out that I needed for dinner. My phone buzzed, but when I saw that it was Connor, I ignored it. I had been ignoring him all week. All he wanted to know was about lacrosse and if I had made first line. I didn't want to tell him that I didn't make it. He would just say that I needed to try harder next season, but still go to every game just in case someone needed to sit out. As if I didn't already know all of that.

But if Jackson was out for Saturday's game, it meant there was an opening for me to steal his spot. I could get on first line, play the game and tell Connor and it wouldn't be a lie. So I kept my fingers crossed that Jackson wasn't going to be better in time. I know, I'm a horrible person.

"Something smells good." Mom said. I looked up from mixing the croutons around to see her head poking out around the corner.

"I'm just making the croutons now." I said with a grin.

"Here you are, making a three course meal and I can barely make a salad." Mom said with a smile as she stepped into the kitchen.

"I'm my father's daughter." I said, rolling my eyes up with a grin. Mom laughed a bit as she settled down on the stool.

"So I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I need you to pick me up from it." Mom said as she ate one of the cucumbers from the salad. I groaned and stopped mixing the croutons around.

"Ma, I'm not your chauffeur."

"Think of it as payback for not going to the Stilinskis last week." Mom gave me a smug smile before getting off the stool and grabbing the plates to set up for dinner.

"It's just us two tonight." I called out, "Dad's working all night."

"Why?" Mom asked, looking to me.

"To come see me play on Saturday." I quickly mumbled under my breath. I looked at Mom who had an eyebrow arched.

"Did you make first line?" Mom asked. I opened my mouth to say something, when Mom cut me off, "Honey, that's fantastic! Why didn't you tell anyone? Does Connor know? He's going to be so excited when he finds out that—"

"I didn't make first line." I abruptly cut Mom off, "I'm on probation. And I'm not playing on Saturday." I rolled my lips in and looked down at the bowl before dumping the contents out onto the cookie sheet.

"Leah, why didn't you tell anyone?" Mom's question was the same, but this time instead of excitement it was full of pity.

"Because I didn't want you guys to be disappointed in me." I truthfully admitted, looking at her, "I mean, Connor got first line his freshman year and…I don't know, he's always saying how I should be first line and I knew I would just make everyone upset if I…wasn't." I finished.

"Honey, we're proud of you no matter what line you make." Mom said, coming over to me. I gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, this is beginning to sound like a sitcom." I said, scrunching up my nose. Mom laughed and ruffled my hair.

"We'll still come to the game on Saturday." Mom said as she squeezed my shoulders.

"And when you say I can do whatever line I want can I do a—"

"No, you cannot do a line of coke." Mom cut me off as she stepped away. I made a face.

"Damnnit." I whispered as I opened the oven and put the croutons in to bake. Mom laughed at me before going back to set the table. I finished up the rest of the chicken and put the main courses on the serving plates before taking the croutons out to cool.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later, causing both Mom and I to look at each other. I made a face before pressing my finger to my nose. Mom rolled her eyes, but went to the door. I left the salad on the counter and followed a little bit behind as Mom opened the door.

"Hi, Mrs. Kane." I heard a familiar voice say.

"Derek Hale." Mom mused as I stepped around the corner, "I haven't seen you in ages."

"I know, I'm sorry. It didn't feel right coming back here since…" Derek trailed off. I couldn't believe it. Derek Hale was standing on my stoop, talking to Mom like they had been best friends. Derek Hale, the werewolf that killed the girl in the woods, practically stalked me at work, was now chatting it up with Mom.

"Well, come on in. We were just about to eat, if you're hungry." Mom said, stepping aside to let Derek in.

"Uh, Mom, maybe that's not such a good—" Derek took notice of me and gave me an easy smile.

"Leah, it's fine. I've known Derek for a long time. Your brother and him used to be buddies." Mom said, practically pulling Derek inside. I felt my jaw click.

"So I've heard." I mumbled under my breath.

"Derek, you came on a good night. Leah made dinner!" Mom said as if that were a selling point. I rolled my eyes as Derek chuckled.

"Ah so she's moved on from Easy Bake Ovens." Derek easily said. Mom grinned at me as if Derek being over was the greatest thing that could ever happen to us. I tried to resist rolling my eyes.

Dinner went smoothly. I stayed quiet and let Mom and Derek catch up. Apparently Derek disappeared with his sister after the fire killed their family. So they talked about what had happened while Derek and Laura were gone. Derek asked me about school and lacrosse, as if he hadn't been lurking on the sidelines for most of practice. I answered curtly, to Mom's distaste.

"Is Laura back in town too?" Mom asked towards the end of dinner.

"I actually don't know." Derek said, rubbing his hands on his thighs, "The last time I spoke with her, she said she was headed here, but that was weeks ago. Mostly why I came back though, to see if she was still here." Derek shrugged, "Laura's always been a floater though."

"Oh, you used to love Laura." Mom said, smiling at me, "She would always play dress up with you and you'd be Little Red Riding Hood and she'd be the big bad wolf."

"How ironic." I mused, raising my eyebrows. Derek stared at me as I smirked.

"You should give her a call, catch up." Mom suggested.

"Nah." I made a face, "It's cool." Mom looked disappointed for a moment before composing herself.

"Well, I could give Laura Leah's number when I find her." Derek suggested, "I don't know how long it'll take, but it's worth a shot."

"That's a great idea!" Mom grinned at me. I made my eyes a bit wider.

"Yay!" I softly said.

"Here, since you cooked, I'll do the dishes." Mom stood up from the table, "Derek, it was lovely to see you again. I'll tell Connor you stopped by."

"Thanks, Mrs. Kane." Derek grinned again as Mom walked into the kitchen.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting dinner _and _a show." I mused as I threw my napkin on the table and pushed out of my chair, "But thanks." I went around the back of my chair and for the door.

"Where are you going?" Derek asked, coming after me.

"To Scott's. Gonna tell him that you _are _a creepy stalker dude."

"I'm not a creepy stalker dude." Derek shook his head.

"Oh yeah? Then why were you at the lacrosse field today watching us and being all creepy stalker dude?" I asked, shrugging on my coat, "What kind of game are you playing?"

"I'm not playing any games." Derek chuckled, "Just like Scott isn't playing in Saturday's lacrosse game." I paused.

"And why not?" I lifted my chin up a bit.

"I saw him out there on the field, Leah. You did too. He shifted. And think about whom else could've seen him."

"Hunters." I whispered.

"Exactly." Derek nodded, "And if he plays on Saturday, he's going to shift. And he's going to expose us all."

"All?" I asked, brow furrowed, "There's more?"

"Leah, if Scott plays in Saturday's game, I will not hesitate to rip his throat out." Derek darkly said. I stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out if he was serious or not.

"Derek!" Mom's voice made me look away and Derek's serious look turned into a smile, "I made you up a plate in case you get hungry later on."

"You really didn't have to do that." Derek said as he took the plate. Mom was beaming. I wanted to gag. "Have a good night. And uh, remember what I said, Leah." Derek nodded at me. I didn't say anything as Derek walked out of house. He was completely serious.

"What did he say to you?" Mom asked, getting my attention.

"Just some tips on lacrosse." I murmured, still staring at the door Derek just exited.

* * *

_**A/N: And I'm back! I am so sorry for the long wait! I was at camp for the past week and a half so that pushed back writing. Then I had to deal with some drama on here so... And finally, it's my birthday tomorrow so I wanted to get this chapter posted as a gift to you guys from me. If that makes sense...haha. Anyway! Thank you for favoriting and following this along with all those who have reviewed; winchesterxgirl, CourtneyxWolf725, Valkyrie101, Chaoscrew, RHatch89, a. Paper. heaRt, Little Red Roses, and Readingbeyondyourvocab! You all rock my socks!**_


	7. Chapter 7

The spoon clinked against the sides of the bowl as I chased the last of my cereal down before scooping it up. I brought the spoon to my mouth as Mom walked into the kitchen, Dad behind her. I watched the two of them walk around the opposite side of the island.

"Morning." Mom said. I nodded at her before taking the spoon out of my mouth. Mom shared a look with Dad before looking back at me.

"If I give you the car keys—"

"Yes." I automatically said, dropping the spoon, "Yes, yes yes." I nodded, "I will be _so _careful. Yes." Mom gave me a look while Dad tried not to smile. I calmed myself down, "Sorry, what?"

"If I give you the car keys, will you promise to be on time this afternoon in picking me up?" Mom finished her question.

"Uh, duh. Yes." I made a face, "Punctual is my middle name." I reached my hand out, "Keys, please."

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Mom asked, looking to Dad. Dad gave her an amused smile before wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"We talked about this."

"Right." Mom let out a breath. She stared at me for a moment before extending her hand, "Promise?" She asked me with a raised eyebrow. I let out a huff.

"Yes, promise. God." Mom gave me a look before dropping the keys into my palm.

"Thanks!" I chirped out before hopping off the stool. I grabbed my cereal bowl and set it on the ground so Webster could drink the leftover milk. "See you at six." I said as I walked to the foyer.

"It's five thirty!" Mom shouted after me. I turned around to walk backwards.

"I know." I made my eyes bigger and moved my head around, "Just seeing if you were paying attention."

"Be careful!" Mom called out as I went to the front door. I grabbed my backpack and went out the front door. I hurried over to Mom's car, which was lingering in the driveway. It was a manual Toyota that Mom had had since before my time. The air conditioning didn't work and we couldn't get it fixed because they would just total the car, it was that old.

I quickly unlocked it and slipped into the driver's seat, starting up the car after I was settled in. I reversed out of the driveway and headed towards Scott's house. I hadn't driven in months, mostly because Mom always had her car and Dad always had his. I didn't mind, but I loved the days when I did get to drive.

I pulled up to the McCall house just as Scott was coming down the front porch steps. I manually rolled down my window and beeped the horn to get his attention.

"Get in, loser! We're going shopping!" I called out. Scott grinned at me as he came over.

"You got the car?"

"Tara was feeling generous." I gave him a charming smile. "Come on, get in. I have stories." I unlocked the car as Scott jogged around to the passenger side door. I hadn't gotten a chance to tell him about Derek's little visit, mostly because I wanted to see his face when I told him.

"You have stories? I have stories too." Scott said as he buckled himself. I grinned at him as I shifted the car.

"You go first then." I said as Scott reached for the radio.

"My mom thinks you're giving me drugs." Scott casually said.

"_One time!_" I groaned, tipping my head back, "That was one time and it was only weed. And she didn't even find out!" I looked at him. Scott shrugged.

"She asked me if I was doing drugs. And I asked her _right now_? And she asked me when I had ever done drugs." Scott settled on a station that he liked and sat back.

"Classic Melissa." I laughed to myself. "And that weed was very good." I looked at Scott, "Always trust a guy named Crash." Scott chuckled.

"I talked to Stiles about Jackson too." Scott changed subjects, "We talked about Jackson and how I separated his shoulder." I made a face and rolled my eyes.

"You didn't separate his shoulder." Scott looked at me, "Okay, well, yeah, technically, but he deserved it." I grumbled to myself. There was a beat of silence before Scott opened his mouth again.

"Derek Hale came by and threatened me." Scott said, glancing at me as he settled back into his seat.

"Oh no way!" I laughed out, shaking my head. "He came to my house last night too."

"What!?" Scott cried out, head snapping to look at me, "Leah! Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I am telling you! Right now!" I cried back, hand waving around a bit.

"Well, what did he do? Did he hurt you?"

"No! No!" I let out a sigh, "No, he came over for dinner." I ran my hand through my hair before shifting gears again.

"_Dinner!?_" Scott cried out, "What!?"

"Mom invited him over for dinner!" I shouted back, "I had no say in any of it! I was vetoed! Overruled!"

"Oh my God." Scott whispered out, "He threatens to rip my throat out and then goes to your house for a homecooked meal."

"I mean he threatened you to me too." I said, glancing at him. Scott met my look, "He said if you played on Saturday, he would rip your throat out."

"Yeah, sounds familiar." Scott sighed. I chewed on my bottom lip.

"Do you think he's serious?" I asked as I turned into the school parking lot.

"Probably." Scott sighed again, shoving a hand through his mop of hair.

"What are you gonna tell Coach?" I asked, finding a parking spot. Scott glanced at me.

"To put you in." Scott simply said with a shrug.

"Really?" I asked with a slight smile. "You'd do that?"

"Yeah." Scott nodded.

"I really want you to play, Scott. You deserve it." I said, reaching out to rub Scott's arm.

"There's no way, Leah. Derek's gonna kill me if I play in that game." I screwed my mouth to the side.

"There's gotta be _something._" I said, looking out the windshield. "I'll think of something." Scott snorted.

"Okay, Leah." Scott pushed out of the car, "Thanks for the ride." I nodded at him before turning the car off and pushing out of the car as well.

I walked into school, pushing through the crowds of people to get to the girls' locker room. After dropping off my lacrosse gear, I went back into the masses to get to my locker. I confidently spun the dial wrong twice before getting it to click open. I popped open the door and swung my bag around so it was in front of me. I pulled out the books I didn't need, and exchanged them for books I did need. I zipped my bag back up and shut the door. I turned to head to homeroom, but instead came face to face with Allison's smiling face.

"Hey!" She chirped. I jumped a bit before giving her a tight smile in return.

"Morning, Allison." I said as I started walking, "How were the hours since I last saw your face?" Allison walked with me, her books to her chest. She laughed at my question before getting on track.

"So a bunch of us were going to go out after Saturday's game." Allison said, "And I was wondering if you wanted come." She offered, glancing at me. I met her gaze with a raised eyebrow.

"Who's _the bunch_?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"Oh, you know, Lydia, Jackson, me and Scott and Stiles too!" Allison grinned, "You should come, it'd be fun." I made a face.

"I didn't know things involving Jackson and Lydia could be fun." I said, making Allison laugh again.

"Just think about it okay?" Allison asked with a hopeful expression.

"Okay." I droned out, giving in. Allison bobbed her head and went into her homeroom. I walked down a few rooms before going into Harris's room.

The school was abuzz with talk of Saturday's game. The team was made to wear their jersey's, so I proudly displayed mine and whenever I passed Stiles, I gave him a look to his smirk. My lucky number was twenty-four, which Stiles knew, so he stole it before I could get a chance. So I ended up with the next best thing, forty-two, which was probably bad luck since it was my lucky number backwards, but I wasn't worried.

"Leah!" Scott called out to me as I was walking to class. I looked over my shoulder to see him weaving through other students, so I paused and let him catch up.

"Allison's coming to the game on Saturday and Coach said that if I don't play, he's taking me off first line. What do I do?" He whined the last part.

"Uh, play tomorrow's game." I said with wide eyes, "Seems like there's nothing you can really do."

"But Derek's gonna kill me." Scott whined again. I stopped walking and put my hands on his shoulders.

"Then don't play the game." I said with a shrug, "It's not worth risking your amazingly, awesome life. Allison will still have a crush on you and you can just be on the bench with me… and Stiles." I sighed out, staring at my best friend. "Not a big deal."

"But this was supposed to be my year." He was still whining. I let out a huff and rolled my eyes as the bell rang.

"Just get to class, dude, we can figure this out later." I said, patting his shoulders before pushing away from him and heading down the hall.

I wanted Scott to play in Saturday's game. I really did, it would be great to start off the season with a win all thanks to Scott instead of Jackson. But if Derek's threat was serious, I didn't want to lose my best friend either. I would rather him be on the bench and once he had the werewolf thing under control, prove to Coach that he was supposed to be on first line. And hopefully that would coincide with my probation ending.

I was walking to History, when I saw Mom and the sheriff come of the office. I paused and went back around the corner I had just come from. I peered around it and watched them talk to the Vice Principal. I was too far away to make out what they were saying, but Mom had her hands planted on her hips, in deputy mode. The sheriff did most of the talking before he shook hands with the Vice Principal and walked away from him, backs to me. I slipped out from my hiding place and followed behind them.

"Mom!" I called out, hurrying my step as Mom turned around. I came up to her as she looked behind her at the sheriff. Then she turned back to me.

"Don't you have class, Leah?" Mom asked, hands still on her hips.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, "I was careful! Ask Scott! Don't make me walk home!" I clasped my hands together in front of me and made an exaggerated crying face. Mom gave me a look.

"Leah." She stated, still in deputy mode.

"Right, sorry." I shook myself off. Mom sighed and looked around herself before looking back at me.

"We're instating a curfew because of the murder."

"You can't do that!" I cried out, "Tomorrow's the game! And when we win, we were all gonna go out! I was invited out." I softly finished, stomping my foot, "And besides, wasn't that like a week ago? Shouldn't you be moving on the more important crimes? I heard there was a break-in." I said, tossing my hair over my shoulder and crossing my arms.

"Leah, we're just looking out for your safety." Mom said, face softening a bit, "We don't want anyone else getting hurt." I took in a breath and looked away from her. I knew exactly who the murderer was and he had been in my house.

"I have to get to class." I said, pushing past her, looking down at the ground.

"Leah!" Mom called out.

"I'll see you at six thirty!" I called back, going down the stairs. I was heading for my class when someone grabbed my arm and yanked me to the side and against the lockers.

"What the _fuck, _Stiles!?" I shouted at him, yanking my arm back to my body. I gave him a stink eye, "You have such serious issues." I breathed out.

"Why the _hell_ was Derek Hale at your house last night?" Stiles asked, tone hurried and hushed.

"Dinner date." I shot back, "Member when he gave me his number? We had a nice talk about the weather." I pushed off the lockers. Stiles blocked me.

"You let a murderer into your home, Leah!" Stiles all about shouted.

"Wow, shout it a little louder why don't you?" I asked, tilting my head to where Mom and the sheriff were walking out of the school. Stiles glanced to them before stomping his foot and pushing his chin out.

"It's not like I had a choice, Stiles." I hissed out. I gave him a look before stomping into my History class. I slid into my seat by the window as the second bell rang.

"For this semester's project, you'll be working on your family histories." The teacher said, getting my attention, "You'll be researching your family trees. Tell me about where they came from, what they did and where they are now. I expect four to five pages on my desk by spring break." She said, "But for now, I'll pair you up to work on the study guides for Monday's test." I looked around the room to see my options as the teacher paired people up.

"Lydia and Leah." She said, making me look at her.

"Again!?" I cried out, getting a look. I felt my jaw click before looking over to Lydia, who was primly sitting in her seat. I gathered up my things and went over to the desk in front of her. I laid my textbook in my lap and sat sideways in the chair.

"I already did a study guide." Lydia said with a sigh.

"Whoop dee doo." I droned out, gaze focused on the textbook. Lydia was silent for a moment.

"I could give you a copy if you want." Lydia offered. I looked over to her and made a face.

"No thanks." I said before returning to my textbook. I worked on my study guide for a few minutes before rubbing my temple, this was going to take too long.

"Alright, what do you want?" I asked, looking to Lydia.

"Hmm?" Lydia asked back, making me give her a look.

"What do you want for the study guide?" I asked, "Notice how I said, _what _instead of _how much."_ Lydia just stared at me before going into her folder and pulling out a packet of paper and handing it out to me.

"Here. Take it." Lydia said, shaking the packet at me. I eyed her warily.

"Is this a trick?" I asked, looking at the packet. Lydia huffed.

"Leah, take the study guide." I cautiously reached out to take it.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked, leafing through the packet, "It's been like all of class and there hasn't been a lesbian joke." I glanced at her for a second.

"Allison seems to have taken to liking you, so…I'm trying." Lydia took in a breath and pursed her lips, "And you called me first about Jackson."

"Ah." I raised my eyebrows as I nodded. I looked through the packet, noticing how detailed and organized it was, "This is really good, Lydia." I laughed to myself, "Why do you pretend to be so stupid to get ahead?" I mumbled under my breath.

"Because not all of us can have the God given gift of athleticism to get us ahead." Lydia snapped, making me look over to her. She shifted in her seat before looking away from me.

I stared at Lydia for a second before the bell rang, making me jump. I started to gather up my things as Lydia stepped over me, heading to the door, Allison catching up to her and throwing a smile in my direction. I stuffed my things into my backpack and went out of the classroom, seeing Lydia and Allison in the middle of the hall, talking Tim, who was on the lacrosse team. I saw Scott a little ways down the hall, watching Lydia and Allison. I looked between the two before walking up to Tim throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"Timmy, let's leave the ladies alone to braid each other's hair, yeah?" I asked, looking at him. The guy laughed at me as I looked to Allison with a smile before tilting my head in Scott's direction. I maneuvered myself and Tim to go the opposite way, walking with him before slipping out.

"See you on the field." I said with a wave before walking down another hallway.

I walked into my Math class and sat in my corner seat by the door before the bell rang. Allison hurried in a couple moments later and sat down behind me, looking flushed and out of breath. I turned around in my seat to look at her.

"Heavy make out session with Scott or something?" I asked, cocking a brow. Allison looked at me for a second before getting my joke. Then she let out a breathy laugh.

"Uh, no." She shifted around in her seat, moving her blazer around on her desk. I recognized it from the party and picked it up, looking it over.

"Hey, isn't this from Lydia's party?" I asked.

"Oh not you too." Allison groaned, making me look at her with a furrowed brow. "Scott was asking me all these questions about it too."

"Didn't know he was into fashion." I mumbled to myself before folding the blazer over my arm.

"No, it wasn't that." Allison shook her head, "He was asking me all these questions about where I got it and how I got it back and about Derek—"

"He asked you about Derek?" I asked, brow furrowing again.

"Yeah." Allison whispered out, leaning forward, "And about what we talked about in the car ride home and such." I thought back to the night, realizing that Allison had left her blazer in Derek's car. Scott's Liam Neeson act was starting to make sense now. I looked down at the blazer then back up to Allison.

"It was weird." Allison finished as the teacher called her up to the board to solve a problem.

"Yeah, weird." I whispered after her before placing the blazer back on the desk.

I managed to get through the rest of my classes along with practice with some time to spare. I drove Scott home and debated going home before driving past my house, heading to the old Hale house. I drove to the entrance of the Preserve. I parked the car and got out, ducking under the chain and heading into the forest.

I wrapped my arms around myself and walked through the forest, looking around myself. I knew there was no one out there, but still. I had no idea where I was going, just wandering, hoping Derek would pop out like he always did.

"Derek?" I called out, looking around, "Derek?" I grumbled to myself and continued to walk forward. I debated giving up, but then I found it. The Hale house. Or what was left of it. I made a face and shifted my weight, looking around the burnt down house. I felt like I had been there before, but I couldn't remember when or why.

"Doesn't look the same, does it?" Derek's voice said from behind me. I turned to the side to see him walking up with a shovel in hand.

"Well, it's burnt down, so…I'd hope it wouldn't look the same." I said, making a face. Derek chuckled and looked down at the ground.

"What's with the shovel? Leveling up on your creepy scale?" I asked, nodding to the shovel. "Looks like you're ready to bury your first victim or something." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Just doing some yard work." Derek said, tossing the shovel away from him, "What are you doing out here?" I shrugged.

"Investigating." I rolled my eyes to the sky.

"Investigating what?" Derek asked.

"Why are you so nosy?" I asked back, making my eyes wide as I dropped my gaze to him.

"This is private property." Derek said with a jut of his chin, "You can't investigate anything without a permit."

"Woah, okay." I put my hands up in front of me, "What happened to the guy at dinner last night?" I gave a nervous laugh, "God, it's like you're really sure I'm gonna find a body or something." Derek stared at me.

"So did you stalk Allison too? To give her her blazer back cause that's…that's something." I sighed, re-crossing my arms. Derek eyed me before looking away.

"Scott's still playing in tomorrow's game." He worded his question to sound more like a statement. I shifted my weight.

"Still gonna rip his throat out if he does?" I asked back.

"I'm trying to look out for him, Leah." I snorted.

"Right. Cause breaking into his home in the middle of the night is totally the right definition of _looking out_." I made a face.

"I said trying." Derek huffed. I looked at him and chewed on my bottom lip, "If he plays tomorrow night, the aggression is gonna take over and he's gonna shift." Derek paused, "And then what?" I didn't answer, "Everyone's just gonna keep cheering him on?" Derek asked. I took in a breath and looked away from the werewolf. "If he plays, everything is going to fall apart."

"Sounds like you know from experience." I mumbled under my breath. I glanced at Derek before shaking my head and going to turn away from him. But then I noticed the massive pile of dirt by the side of the house. I raised my eyebrows and then looked to Derek before making a clicking sound with my tongue and walking away.

After finding my car, I went back home to an empty house. I had just gotten inside when my phone buzzed with an incoming text. I looked down to see Scott had texted me.

_Found something on Derek's property. _

I made a face and quickly turned around, heading back out of the house. I sprinted over to the McCall house and got there just as Stiles' Jeep screeched to a stop at the curb. I stopped for a split second as Stiles scrambled out of the Jeep and ran past me. Then I took back off, trying to catch up to Stiles. We ran up the porch steps at the same time and he threw the door open. Both of us tried to get into the house at the same time, but slammed into each other. I glared at him before shoving him back and running into the house before him.

I took the stairs two at a time to get to Scott's room. Stiles was behind me and quickly caught up, slamming me into the wall to get by me and explode into Scott's room.

"What did you find? How did you find it? Where did you find it?" Stiles rattled off his questions as we stood above Scott, "And, yes, I've had a lot of Adderall, so…" Stiles blinked hard and shook his head before glancing at me.

"Sup, Barbie. Glad your plastic didn't break when you slammed into that wall." I rolled my eyes and looked back at Scott.

"I found something of Derek Hale's."

"Yeah no shit!" I cried out, throwing my arms up, "That's what the text—"

"Are you kidding?! What!?" Stiles shouted out, cutting me off as he rolled forward on his toes.

"There's something buried there- I could smell blood." I felt my jaw drop. He _was _burying a body.

"That's awesome! I mean, that's terrible." Stiles shook his head as Scott tightened the knots on his lacrosse stick.

"Whose blood?" I asked, getting excited at the thought of a body being found.

"I don't know. But when we do, your dad nails Derek for the murder." Scott got out of his seat and pointed the lacrosse stick at Stiles. Stiles nodded his head.

"And then you help me figure out how to play lacrosse without changing. Because there's no way I'm _not_ playing that game." Scott gave me a glance and I nodded, arms crossed over my chest with a determined look. We were about to find a body.

* * *

_**A/N: So sorry this is such a short chapter! Hopefully the next one will be longer! Thank you all for favoriting and following! And big thank yous to those who reviewed: Guest, mistressofdarkness666, Guest, Guest, RHatch89, Readingbeyondyourvocab, dizzy-dreamer-98, and Ayine! You are all the best! xxx**_


	8. Chapter 8

I was sitting on the bed, reknotting Scott's lacrosse cradle as the boys chattered away. Stiles and Scott had started coming up with a plan on how exactly to find the body. So far, it sounded like they needed to figure out if the scent was the same. I went to put in my two cents when my phone buzzed. I looked down to see that it was my alarm, telling me I had fifteen minutes to get to the hospital to pick up Mom on time.

"Shit." I whispered, getting Scott's attention.

"What?" Scott asked me, looking concerned. I glanced up at him and flipped the phone to show him the time.

"I have to go pick up Tara." I said, screwing my mouth to the side. "She's at the hospital for her doctor's appointment."

"Well, looks like Barbie can't come!" Stiles said, raising his hands up in the air before letting them drop, "Too bad." He pretended to be upset. I made a face at him.

"Okay, well, I guess, just text me if you need anything." I said, rubbing my eye and shrugging. Scott nodded as I took a step back, "And, uh, good luck." I said with a nod before turning around and heading down the stairs.

I made it to the hospital with five minutes to spare. Settling myself in one of the chairs in the waiting room, I picked up a women's magazine to torture myself. The doors slid open and closed as people came in and out. I watched a few of them, even seeing Lydia and Jackson walk in together. Lydia took a seat on the opposite wall as Jackson went up to the desk. He was taken down the hall and around the corner by one of the nurses, leaving Lydia in a waiting chair around the corner.

A couple minutes later, I heard Lydia speaking. I put the magazine down and leaned a bit to the side, trying to figure out if she was talking to me or to herself. I was still pretty unsure so I glanced around the corner to see her head tilted to the side and she was murmuring to herself. I watched her for a moment, seeing her tuck her hair behind her ear. That's when the little blue earpiece became visible. I made a face to myself before looking back at the cover of the magazine.

"Leah?" I heard Mrs. McCall's voice say from above me. I looked up to see her giving me a warm smile. "Your mom's almost done. Do you wanna come back?" She asked. I looked around the waiting area before nodding to myself.

"Yeah, yeah that'd be cool." I closed the magazine and set it back on the table. I followed Mrs. McCall down the hall, past Lydia, and down another hall.

"So I'm coming to tomorrow's game." Mrs. McCall said, making conversation. I lifted my chin at her, making a little noise in approval.

"Scott's really…nervous." I finished, "About starting."

"I'm proud of him." Mrs. McCall said with a warm smile.

"You should be." I instantly responded as we slowed down in front of a door. Mrs. McCall knocked on the door before pushing it open. I stepped in after her to see Mom on the examination table, the ultrasound technician sitting in front of the computer.

"Hey, honey." Mom gave me a smile, "Just in time. We're almost done."

"Just taking a picture of the baby for your dad." The technician said, glancing over her shoulder at me. "Come here and take a look." She said, nodding me over. I looked at Mrs. McCall, who nodded at me, before I took a step closer to the computer.

"See? There he is." The technician pointed to the screen where a clear image of a baby's head was.

"He." I whispered back as I stared at the screen for a second before looking to Mom, "It's a boy?" I asked.

"Don't tell your father." Mom said with a small smile. "He doesn't want to know."

"Holy shit." I laughed a bit, "There's a human inside of you."

"Yes, I'm aware, thank you." Mom gave me a look, I rolled my eyes.

"I think we're about finished here." The technician said as the picture of my baby brother printed out. "Mrs. Kane—"

"Deputy Kane." I corrected her, making Mom smile.

"Deputy Kane." I got a pointed look from the technician, "You can clean yourself up and we'll get you out of here."

"You can go wait outside, sweetie." Mom said as Mrs. McCall helped her sit up. I nodded and backed out of the room. I let the door shut behind me and then started back down the hallway to where I was waiting before.

When I turned the corner, I heard the unmistakable voice of Stiles talk to someone. I stopped myself, walking back so I was behind the corner, and poked my head around so I could clearly see him. He had one hand up against the wall and was putting his weight into it as he stared down at…Lydia. I put my hand over my mouth as I listened to him try to talk to her.

"Uh, anyway, I always thought that we just had this kinda…connection." I snorted at him. He was such a spazz.

"Maybe it would be kinda cool to uh, get to know each other a little better." Stiles finished as Lydia smiled up at him, nodding a bit. I felt my stomach drop at the thought that she had _actually _been listening to him. Then she pushed her hair back behind her ear, revealing an earpiece. My stomach returned to its normal position as I felt an amused smile tug at the corner of my lips.

"I didn't get any of what you were just saying…was it worth repeating?" Lydia bluntly asked, squinting at Stiles. Stiles blanched and looked utterly embarrassed.

I felt someone knock into my shoulder and I looked over to see that Jackson was coming around the corner, rubbing his shoulder.

"Get your cortisone shot?" I asked, making him look back at me as I leaned into the wall. He gave me a stink eye before shaking his head and walking up to where Lydia was sitting. I pushed off the wall and followed behind him for a second before going over to where Stiles was sitting.

"See—" I started, making Stiles jump about fifty feet, "if I knew that they had a pamphlet on the menstrual cycle, I would've chosen that instead of the women's magazine."

"Ha, funny." Stiles tossed the pamphlet to the side as I stood above him, "What do you want?"

"I want to know how your _connection_ with Lydia works." I said with a smug smile. Stiles jutted his chin up as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"You're hilarious."

"Oh, I know. But your little performance gave me a run for my money." I said. I looked over to where Lydia and Jackson were full on making out. "Looks like it didn't work though." I said, making a face as I looked back at Stiles. Stiles looked from me to Lydia and Jackson and made a disgusted noise, slipping down into his seat. I watched the couple for a moment as they broke away from each other and walked past us and out the double doors.

"So what are you—" I started to ask when,

"The scent was the same." Scott's voice made me jump about three feet. I placed my hand to my heart as I whirled around.

"Oh my God." I slapped his chest with each word, "You don't just sneak up on a girl!" I cried out as I heard Stiles snort. Scott gave me an apologetic smile. "And what scent was the same?" I asked.

"The half of the body the police _did_ find is the same scent that I smelled on Derek's property." Scott explained.

"You sure?" Stiles asked, getting to his feet and standing next to me.

"Yes." Scott seriously said as I looked in between the boys.

"So he did bury the other half of the body on his property." Stiles sighed.

"Which means we have proof he killed the girl." I added on, getting all caught up with what was going on.

"I say we use it." Stiles agreed with me. I couldn't believe it.

"How?" Scott asked, looking between us.

"Tell me something first." Stiles stepped up a bit closer, "Are you doing this because you want to stop Derek, or because you want to play in the game, and he said you couldn't?" I had to hand it to Stiles; there was truth to what he was asking. As much as Scott was a good person, I knew there was also the part of him that wanted to get Derek thrown in jail so that he could play in tomorrow's game and not have to worry about getting his throat ripped out.

"There are bite marks on the legs, Stiles. Bite marks." Scott seriously said, rolling forward on his toes a bit.

"Okay. Then we're gonna need a shovel." Stiles sighed and went to walk past Scott, but I grabbed his arm.

"Uh, I wanna come dig up a body." I whispered whined. Stiles barked out a laugh and shook me off of him.

"Yeah, nice one. You're not coming."

"Why?" I asked. Stiles opened his mouth to spew out his reasons, but Scott cut him off.

"We'll wait for your mom to be done." Scott nodded.

"Why are you guys waiting for me?" Mom's voice sounded behind me. Shit. Shit. Shit.

I spun around and gave her a grin, "Scott and Stiles were gonna go see a movie and were waiting for you to be done so I could come." Mom looked between the boys with a smile.

"Well, I can take the car home and you can just go with them now." Mom suggested with a grin. I nodded and dug my hand into my pocket for the keys.

"That is a perfect idea. Thanks, Mom! Love ya, bye!" I kissed her cheek and spun back around, shoving the boys to the double doors.

"Easier than expected." I was happy with myself. I had gotten away with a lie to Mom and was about to go find a body. "But where are we gonna get a shovel." I said, pushing through the boys so I was in the middle of them.

"We'll swing by my house and grab two. Barbie, you're on watch." Stiles pointed to me as we got to his Jeep.

"On watch for what?"

"If Derek comes back, he likes you the most so you can just distract him while we run." Stiles shrugged, "And maybe he won't kill you. Just…you know…enslave you or something."

"Disgusting. I hate you." I stared at him before yanking the Jeep door open and climbing inside.

After stopping at Stiles' house to pick up a couple shovels and flashlights, Stiles drove to the Preserve, maneuvering the Jeep into the forest and towards the Hale house as Scott directed him. Scott explained to me that he had come to ask Derek to stay away from Allison because he knew about the blazer. And that's when he smelled the blood.

Derek's car was nowhere to be found when we pulled up to the house. The boys got out and I ambled behind them, letting the flashlight float over the skeleton of the house.

"Wait, something's different." Scott held out his shovel to stop us from walking any further.

"Different how?" Stiles asked as I laid the beam of light on him.

"I don't know." Scott shook his head, taking a step forward to the pile of dirt.

"Let's just get this over with." I mumbled as the boys started to dig up the body. I wasn't scared of what we would find, I just didn't want Derek coming back and ripping our throats out. No matter how much he liked me, he wouldn't be very happy that we were digging up his victim to get him thrown in jail.

A few minutes later, Scott let out a groan and stopped digging. He stood up straight and looked to me, "This is taking too long."

"Keep going." Stiles said as he tossed some dirt over his shoulder, hitting me. I flinched and made a face as he kept digging. Scott blew out a breath but complied, going back to digging.

As the boys kept digging, I walked around the house, going to the side and walking along the side of the house before getting to the back entrance. I stepped up onto the back porch, feeling the boards creaking under my weight. The beam of light from the flashlight scanned the porch, showing nothing ut rotting wood and half burnt porch furniture.

The inside of the house wasn't much better. It was like the cottage from the Blair Witch Project, minus the creepy ass dude. For the moment at least. I walked into what seemed to have been the living room and let my hand drag across the torn up couch. I had been here before. I knew I had been in this exact room before; the couch, as torn up as it was, looked so familiar.

Two very girly screams made me jump and look to where the boys where. Shit. Derek had probably come back. I scrambled back outside, running through the front of the house and out the front door. I hurried across the front porch and jumped down off of the side, skidding to a stop behind them.

"What the hell!?" I cried out, making them both scream again. "That's not a girl!" I pointed the flashlight to the wolf's head that was at the bottom of the hole.

"I thought you said you smelled blood, as in human blood." Stiles said, glancing at Scott.

"I told you something was different!" Scott shouted back. I rubbed my hand on my head before shoving it through my hair.

"This doesn't make sense." I whispered to myself, turning around in a slow circle, "We gotta get out of here." I said, as I came back to face the boys. Scott nodded.

"Yeah."

"Okay, help me cover this up." Stiles said, leaning over the hole and flipping the tarp back over the wolf's head. Scott started to help Stiles as I let the flashlight go around the woods.

"Wait, pause." Stiles said to me. I snorted and kept moving the flashlight, "Leah! Stop moving the flashlight!" I stopped moving the flashlight, "Over to the left a bit." I did as I was told. "Right there." I stopped, letting the light shine on a purple flower sticking out of the ground.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked.

"You see that flower?" Stiles pointed to the purple flower.

"What about it?" Scott asked. The flower looked familiar from my readings.

"Wolfsbane." I whispered as Stiles said, "I think it's wolfsbane."

"What's that?" Scott asked, making me turn to him, shining the flashlight on his back.

"Uh…Haven't you ever seen the Wolf Man?" Stiles asked.

"No." Scott truthfully answered.

"That's a lie." I snorted, "I play it in the movie store like every Friday the thirteenth." I said.

"I never visited on a Friday the thirteenth." Scott said, glancing at me.

"Lon Chaney Junior? Claude Rains?" Stiles asked, getting blank looks from Scott, "The original, classic werewolf movie?"

"No!" Scott shouted. I let out an audible huff as Stiles groaned. "What?" Scott asked as Stiles climbed out of the hole.

"You are so unprepared for this." Stiles mumbled. I watched him go over to the flower and gently tug it up, revealing a rope attached to the roots of the flower. Stiles tugged at the rope, following it around until it hit the hole where the wolf's head was buried. I looked down at the hole and let out a little scream before clapping my hand over my mouth.

"What?" Scott asked, looking at me. I pointed the flashlight down into the hole. Scott looked down and jumped a bit. Stiles came over and looked into the hole, flailing a bit when he saw what we saw. There was no longer a wolf head in the hole, it was a half a body. Half a girl's body that looked _very _familiar.

"Okay, we need to go. Now. Derek's gonna be back any minute." I said, looking around the property with my flashlight. The boys recovered the body with the tarp, tying it in like nine hundred knots. I helped them put dirt back on the body, filling the hole back up before brushing my hands off on my jeans. I had dirt smeared on my face and sweat was dripping down my face. Explaining why there was dirt all over me to Mom was going to be tricky, but I would figure something out.

Stiles, Scott and I traipsed back to the Jeep, throwing the shovels in the back hatch. I climbed into the back seat as Stiles and Scott took the seats up front. Stiles started up the Jeep as I opened my mouth, "How the _fuck_-"

"I don't know!" Scott shouted back, cutting me off.

"Maybe she's a werewolf." Stiles mused. Scott and I both looked at Stiles. I made a face, nodding a bit and shaking a finger at Stiles.

"That makes _no sense_." I said, sitting back in my seat.

"That's the only thing I can think of." Stiles said with a shrug, "I mean, I don't know any other reason a wolf would change from a wolf to a girl. Especially a dead one." I was quiet, sitting back in my seat as Stiles got onto the main road. We were all quiet as Stiles drove.

When we pulled up to my house, I pushed out of the Jeep and went to Scott's window. "So we're going back out tomorrow?" I asked, looking to Stiles as Scott nodded, "And you're gonna tell your dad what? Just so I know what to tell Tara. And our stories match up."

"That we went out looking for Scott's inhaler that he dropped and found the hole."

"Which is our cover story for tomorrow." I added, "When did he drop his inhaler?" I asked.

"I'll let you know." Stiles said, bobbing his head, "Or you know, you could come up with that part of the plan." Stiles flung his hand at me. I widened my eyes at him.

"Oh, but I'm just a Barbie. I won't be able to come up with plans." I said, making my voice airy. Stiles gave me an unamused look. "Just make sure you pick me up tomorrow." I said, reverting back to my normal voice.

"Yeah, I'll pick you up at like noon." Stiles said, not sounding very happy about it.

"Just how I wanted to spend the afternoon before the game…digging up a body." I sighed and stepped back from the Jeep.

"You don't have to come!" Stiles raised a hand. I glared at him.

"Of course I'm coming." I didn't plan on re digging up the body. I just wanted to look around the rest of the Hale house and figure out if anything else looked familiar.

"Night, Leah." Scott softly said. I gave my best friend a small smile.

"Night, Scotty." I waved to him and turned away, walking up to my house.

I spent the rest of the night researching on the reason why the wolf turned into a girl. I came up with nothing because sometimes even Google doesn't have all the answers. So I took a shower and curled up in bed with Webster and tried to fall asleep. But I kept picturing the girl's body. Her eyes stared up at us, mouth slack and dirt all over her. I knew her from somewhere. Sleep overtook me before I could think of where I knew her from.

The air nipped at my bare arms as I stepped up onto the porch of this massive house. I looked around the front porch. Then I heard a giggle from the other side of the door. I pushed the front door open and stepped into the house. The door slammed behind me, making me jump.

The giggle echoed around me again before a little girl ran past me, wolf ears on her head, smile on her face. It was a younger me. I followed her through a doorway, going into a living room where there was a familiar looking couch. She ran past it and out into the hallway. I followed as she ran out to the back porch.

"Come on, Red!" Younger me said, giggling and looking out as she stood at the edge of the porch, "I get to be the wolf this time and you get to be little red riding hood!" I watched myself bounce.

"Only if you stop bouncing, little wolf. You might fall." A voice said from in front of the younger me. I looked across the yard to see a woman dressed in a red hooded cape. I couldn't get a clear view of her face.

"But I'm the big bad wolf!" Younger me growled and raised her hands into claws, making a face. The woman smiled at younger me.

"My, what great big fangs you have." She said, as she walked closer to the porch. Her hood was falling down off of her head as she got closer. Younger me was giggling as she jumped out into the woman's arms. The woman's face became fully visible as the hood fell completely off when she caught younger me in her arms. And then her face morphed into one with fangs and glowing red eyes.

I shot up in bed, covered in sweat. My heart was hammering against my chest, almost about to explode from it. It was just a dream. A dream. The woman looked exactly like the girl in woods, but there was no way it could've been her. It was just my subconscious playing tricks on me.

My feet padded against the wood flooring as I walked down the hallway. I went to the cabinet at the end of the hall and pulled out a picture album. I flipped through it, noticing that it was the one from my fifth birthday party. I stopped when I got to a group photo. I stared at it, seeing that the woman from my dream, looking exactly like the girl in the woods, except more alive. I flipped the picture around, my hand shaking. There were names on the back. _Tara, Drew, Connor, Leah, Derek, Laura, Peter, Talia..._the rest of the names began to fuzz together. I blinked hard, trying to get the words back in focus. Except I kept going back to Laura's name. Laura, the girl in my dream, the girl in the woods. Laura Hale.

* * *

_**A/N: Gah, I hate posting such short chapters, but I also hate putting so much action and information into longer chapters cause I feel like stuff gets lost or whatever. IDK. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this one. Thank you so much for all your faves and follows, and big thanks to those who reviewed: Wynn-J Readingbeyondyourvocab, Guest, RHatch89, Ayine, Valkyrie101, MorganLahey, Chaoscrew and Naomi! Love you all to pieces! xx**_


	9. Chapter 9

I was back in the Hale house later Saturday afternoon, except this time Mom was with me. The boys and I had gone back out into the woods and dug the body back up earlier in the afternoon. Then Stiles and I called our respective parents, who brought the team out to the Hale property.

"Get off the couch, Leah." Mom waved her hand at me, "You shouldn't really be in here anyway." I rolled my eyes, but did as I was told, pushing to my feet. I shoved my hands into the back pockets of my gray skinny jeans and rocked back on my heels.

"It's been awhile since I've been here…" I started, gauging Mom's reaction. Mom raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"Sure has." Mom said. I opened my mouth to continue the conversation, but was cut off by the sheriff's firm voice,

"Do you understand the rights that have been read to you?" I glanced over to see the sheriff standing in front of the door, Derek handcuffed in front of him. Derek's gaze flicked over to me as the sheriff tightened the handcuffs on Derek's wrists.

"Yes." Derek said, voice gruff, eyes still on me.

"Come on, sweetie." Mom put her arm around me. I looked away from Derek, "We're pretty much done in here." I nodded and walked with Mom out of the house and down the steps, watching as Derek was forced into the back of a patrol car. My eyes flicked up to where Stiles' Jeep was parked, Scott leaning against the hood. I saw Stiles dart out from behind the Jeep and hurry over to the patrol car, trying to be smooth and sneaky. I snorted to myself as Stiles opened the front passenger door to the car and slipped inside.

"So what were you three doing out here again?" Mom asked me, getting my attention again. I looked at her, scuffing the toe of my Adidas high top against the concrete and making a face.

"Just exploring." I shrugged, "We weren't doing anything."

"If I ask you to pee in a cup, would you?"

"Mom!" I felt my jaw drop, "We weren't doing drugs!"

"Then what exactly were you doing out here?" Mom asked, crossing her arms over her chest. I made a face and blew out my cheeks.

"We were looking for Scott's inhaler." I said, shoving my hands under my armpits as I came up with a lie.

"Which he lost when?" Mom asked.

"The other night when we were out here." I rocked my hips to the side.

"The other night when you were out here looking for the first half of the body." Mom stated. I stopped talking as I realized I was getting caught up in my lie.

"No, another night, different night. It was some pre-season thing." I waved my hand around in the air, "Only Stiles and I were out here that night." Mom eyed me for a moment before nodding. She let her hand skate over the small baby bump as she continued to nod.

"Are we done here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Mom nodded again and I started down the steps before stopping and turning around to look at her.

"You can I.D. the body now, can't you?" I asked, looking up at her.

"That's what they're gonna do for the rest of the afternoon." Mom put her hands on her hips, "Why?"

"I was just wondering." I made a face and shrugged, "Curiosity, ya know?"

"You know what they say about curiosity." Mom said with a small smile. I nodded and turned around.

"It killed the wolf." I whispered to myself as I walked back to Scott and the Jeep.

"So what's Spazz Attack doing?" I asked as I meandered up to the Jeep. I leaned against the passenger door and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I have no friggin' idea." Scott breathed out before running a hand through his hair. We fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments before I opened my mouth.

"And have you figured out how you're gonna play tonight?" I asked, glancing over to my best friend.

"No." Scott grumbled, "But I'm playing."

"Oh, I know." I said, raising my eyebrows and nodding. "Just wanna know how you're gonna deal when you shift."

"_If_." Scott corrected. I stared at him for a moment more before Scott sighed, "_When_." He corrected himself. I let myself give him a smug smile as I shifted against the Jeep.

"Did you tell Connor about not making first line yet?" Scott asked, glancing at me.

"Nope." I let the 'p' pop. "And I don't plan on it. Cause I made first line, I'm just on probation." I said, pointing a finger to Scott. "So while you're out there tonight, kicking ass, I'll be trying not to kill Stiles on the bench." Scott snorted.

"The sheriff might do it before you get the chance." Scott nodded to where the sheriff was forcefully pulling Stiles out of the patrol car.

"Awh, damnit." I made a face and stomped my foot as I watched the sheriff yell at Stiles. It brought me some sense of joy knowing that I had gotten out of it unscathed while Stiles was getting tied up in his lies. Obviously, I was the smarter one.

"Let's go." Stiles threw his arm up in the air as he stomped over to us. "We've done enough." I smirked at his back as he went around to the driver's side. Scott shook his head, but pulled the passenger side door open, hopping inside. I did the same, getting into the backseat as Stiles started the car.

"When you say _we_ you mean _you _though, right?" I asked as Stiles started to drive.

"I'm not answering that, Barbie." Stiles glanced at me in the rearview mirror. I made an innocent face.

"I mean, I'm just saying cause I'm not the one who went into a patrol car to interrogate a murderer." I raised my shoulders up, "That was all you."

"Shut up." Stiles' face was unamused as he pulled out onto the road.

"At least I didn't—"

"Leah." Scott turned around in his seat to look at me, "Stop. We did what we had to do and that's it. It's done now. Derek's in custody." Scott nodded at me. I gave him a look before sighing and sitting back in my seat, arms crossed over my chest.

The Jeep was quiet for a few minutes as Stiles drove. I stared out the window, looking at the forest pass by. Stiles had the radio playing some crap while Scott tapped his fingers on his knee to the beat. I glanced between the boys before leaning forward in the space between them.

"So _what _exactly were you hoping to get out of Derek?" I asked, looking at Stiles' profile. Stiles huffed and shifted in his seat.

"I wanted to know what kind of werewolf the girl was." Stiles said, "I mean, she could transform into a full wolf and I know Scott can't do that." Stiles motioned to Scott.

"No, you don't."

"Yeah, I do." Stiles argued back with me.

"No, you don't." I said again, shaking my head.

"Yeah, I—"

"Alright, shut it!" Scott cut Stiles off. Both of us looked at him, "What did he say?"

"Nothing. Completely unhelpful." Stiles flailed a bit.

"Well, did he say why he buried the body under wolfsbane?" I asked, raising my eyebrows, "I mean, that's what my question is."

"I didn't get a chance to ask, Leah." Stiles made a face at me, "Why don't you just Google it?" I groaned and fell back against the seat. But I complied, shoving into my pocket for my phone. The boys continued to talk to each other about what Derek said as I tried to Google why a werewolf would bury another werewolf under wolfsbane. I wasn't getting anywhere.

"I can't find anything about wolfsbane being used for burial." I voiced my frustration as I exited out of Google.

"Just keep looking." Stiles' response came back.

"No. I already closed the page." I said, leaning forward. Stiles rolled his head back.

"Okay, maybe it's like a ritual or something, like maybe they bury you as a wolf. Or maybe it's like a special skill, you know? Like something you have to learn." Stiles rattled off options.

"I'll put it on my to-do list, right underneath figuring out how the hell I'm playing this game tonight." Scott mumbled, obviously a little annoyed.

"Maybe it's different for girl werewolves." Stiles absentmindly said.

"Okay! Stop it!" Scott shouted out, making me flinch a little.

"Stop what?" Stiles asked, glancing at him.

"Stop saying werewolves! Stop enjoying this so much." Scott was freaking out. I stared at my best friend, eyebrow arched.

"Are you okay?" I cautiously asked.

"No!" Scott shouted back immediately, "No, I'm not. I'm so _far_ from being okay."

"You know, you're gonna have to accept this, Scott, sooner or later."

"Sooner being better than later." I added on to Stiles statement, "Especially since the game is in like an hour."

"I can't." Scott said back.

"Well, you're gonna have to." Stiles said in a _too bad_ voice.

"No! I can't breathe." Scott frantically said. He started to move around the car, trying to get out. I straightened up and watched him for a second.

"Scott? Scott, what's happening?" I asked.

"Aah! Ah, pull over!" Scott was obviously in pain with the way he was acting and sounding.

"Why? What's happening?" Stiles asked, frantic. Scott spotted Stiles' backpack, which was resting in the dividing space. He reached in and pulled up the wolfsbane flower, eyes wide in disbelief.

"You kept it?!" Scott freaked out.

"What was I supposed to do with it?!" Stiles freaked right back out. Scott groaned and banged his head against the back of the seat. Then his hand went up to the ceiling of the Jeep.

"Stop the car!" Scott suddenly growled out, eyes flashing gold. That scared Stiles enough to stomp on the brakes. I braced myself as the Jeep pitched forward at the sudden stop. In a second, Stiles was out of the Jeep, backpack in his hands. Scott was out faster, leaving me alone in the backseat. I watched Stiles hurl his backpack into the woods. I scrambled out of the Jeep as Stiles turned around to face the Jeep.

"Okay Okay. We're good, you can—" Stiles was talking in a relieved tone as he looked at the Jeep, "Scott?" Stiles looked around the forest, "Scott?" He sang out. Then his eyes landed on me.

"Where'd he go?" Stiles asked. I lifted my shoulders and made a face. "Useless. How do you just _lose a werewolf?_" Stiles whispered under his breath.

"You forget to cherish it." I simply responded. I got a glare from Stiles. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I'm not the one who kept a _poisonous flower_ in my backpack." I shot back. Stiles made a face at me.

"Well, you let him out of the car!"

"He was out before I could even process what was happening!" I shouted, flinging my hand towards the forest. "Supernatural speed, remember?" Stiles grumbled to himself.

"I need to find my backpack."

"I need to find my best friend." I said back as Stiles headed into the woods.

"_MY _best friend!" Stiles shouted at me. I rolled my eyes, but followed Stiles into the forest.

"What compelled you to throw your _entire _backpack?" I asked, catching up to him and crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh, uh, just the fact that my best friend was choking in my Jeep." Stiles glanced at me, "Kinda more worried about that than my Chemistry homework."

"We had Chemistry homework?" I asked, brow furrowing.

"Yeah." Stiles gave me a look, "Such a Barbie." He whispered. I stuck my tongue out at him and went back to looking for his backpack.

We looked for a few minutes, before Stiles found it. He threw the flower out of the bag and zipped it back up, slinging it over his shoulder. We headed back to the Jeep in silence, both of us scanning the woods for any sign of Scott. He really had disappeared, which meant something bad was probably going to happen. I blew out a breath as we got to the Jeep; Stiles threw his backpack into the back hatch and then placed his hands on his hips.

"Let's find him before he hurts someone." Stiles flicked his hand at me.

"Or kills someone." I added. Stiles stared at me before walking to the front of the Jeep. I walked around the back of the Jeep, scanning the woods for Scott.

"Okay, so what do we do? This forest is _huge_ we can't just drive around for the rest of the night. We have the game." I said as Stiles put the Jeep in drive.

"Yeah, I know." Stiles rubbed his hand over his mouth, "Okay, the station! We could call the station." He pointed at me.

"And say what?" I asked, rolling my head to look at him, "That my werewolf best friend went missing because an idiot kept something poisonous in his backpack and now the werewolf is on the loose and is probably gonna kill someone?" I asked.

"He's my best friend." Stiles grumbled.

"No, he's—"

"Can we please not, right now!?" Stiles cut me off, holding up a hand, "Do you have any better ideas?" He glanced at me and I sighed, rubbing my face.

"No." I dejectedly said, "Fine, we'll call the station. Probably won't get very far though." I pulled out my phone and dialed dispatch, putting it on speaker so Stiles could talk while he drove.

"Beacon Hills Sheriff Station, this is Sharon." Sharon's voice came over the speaker. I inwardly groaned. Sharon didn't like me very much and the feeling was mutual. Stiles glanced at me before readying himself to speak.

"Hey, Sharon, it's Stiles."

"Stiles." She sounded exasperated already, "What do you need?"

"We were just wondering if you had anything…odd come in." Stiles glanced at me. I rolled my eyes.

"_We?_" Sharon asked. Stiles cursed under his breath and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Yeah, me and Leah." Sharon made a disapproving noise.

"You can't just call this line whenever you want. You two know that." Sharon was going into Mom mode. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Sharon, please just pull the stick out of your ass for three seconds and give us an answer." I said.

"Leah… don't start with me." Sharon said in a warning tone. I made a face at the phone before looking at Stiles, who was smirking to himself. I smacked his shoulder.

"Don't hit the driver." Stiles hissed out. I pointed to the phone with my free hand. Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Have you gotten any odd calls today?" Stiles asked.

"Odd how?" Sharon asked. Stiles glanced at me before leaning closer to the phone, eyes back on the road.

"Uh, like an odd person or…A dog-like individual roaming the streets." Stiles moved his head around a bit and I heard Sharon sigh.

"I'm hanging up on you now." She said.

"No!" Stiles and I both shouted.

"Wai-wai-wai-wai-wait!" Stiles stuttered out, trying to get her to not hang up.

"Good bye!" Sharon trilled out before the line went dead.

"Bitch!" I gasped out as Stiles hit the steering wheel with his hand and let out a frustrated noise. I looked at Stiles, "Alright, genius, what now?"

"I have no idea." Stiles scrubbed his hand over his head, "But we have to be at school in like a half an hour, maybe less…"

"So we're just gonna leave him out there." I stated as Stiles turned down my street. Stiles took in a breath.

"I don't know what else to do."

"It's your fault if he kills anyone." I said as Stiles pulled up to my house. Stiles glared at me.

"Get out." He seriously said.

"Fine." I steely said back before shoving the door to the Jeep out. I hopped out and slammed the door shut with all my might.

"Hey!" Stiles shouted at me. I flipped him off before walking past the Jeep, down the street, towards Scott's house. Stiles drove next to me.

"What are you doing?" He asked out the window.

"None of your business."

"Your house is that way, Barbie. In case you've forgotten." Stiles jerked his head back to my house. I stuck out my tongue at him.

"I'm aware, thank you." I said as I crossed my arms over my chest and cutting across the yard of the McCall's. Stiles had to stay where he was, or at least he did. I got to the tree that separated the McCall's house from mine. It had been there since before I was born and I had climbed it countless times. I placed my foot in the proper spot and reached up to grab the knot in the tree.

"What are you doing?" Stiles' voice scared me. I flinched in surprise before glancing over to him.

"What does it look like I'm doing? You have eyes, Spazz Attack, use them." I said back as I hoisted myself up. I heard Stiles mimicking me as I moved up the tree.

"God, wait, I'm coming." I looked down at him as he placed his hands and feet where I had mine. "If you fall, I'll die." He called up to me, "Just remember that."

"Oh, so I should fall then?" I called back.

"No!"

"Yes?"

"Leah! Don't!" I grinned at him before resuming my climbing. As much as falling on top of Stiles would be funny, it would hurt like hell and injure us both. And I didn't want to have another reason as to why I couldn't play in tonight's game.

I swung my leg over the branch in front of Scott's room and scooted across it. Stiles was right behind me, holding on for dear life. I laid down on my stomach and reached out to lift up Scott's window. Then I tumbled inside, landing on his bed. Stiles came in after me, banging into something or other.

"Why didn't we just use the door?"

"They lock the front door." I said in a _duh _voice. Stiles rolled his eyes as he rubbed his back. I scanned the empty room, letting out a sigh.

"He's not here." I said.

"Yeah, I can see that." I glared at Stiles. I slowly spun around in the room, taking in all the nooks and crannies as if Scott was just hiding in the corner, waiting to be found.

"The sun's setting. If he's still in the woods, he—"

"He'll be fine." Stiles cut me off. I looked at him, "Werewolves are predators. If anything attacks him…he'll fight back." Stiles raised a hand before lowering it again, letting it rest on his hips. I nodded at him.

"There's nothing else we can do, huh?" I said, looking down at my shoes. I heard Stiles take a step forward before stopping.

"I'll see you at the game." He said. I nodded at him and watched him go out the window, climbing back down the tree. I blew out a breath and looked around the empty room. Scott wasn't there, and there was nowhere else I could think of him being. The woods were huge, I wouldn't be able to comb through it all, and get to the game on time. So I climbed onto Scott's bed and went out the window, climbing through the tree to get to the branch that led to my window.

The boys' locker room had an air of nervousness mixed with excitement as I stepped inside. The door slammed shut behind me, but none of the guys noticed as the music and talking were too loud. I wove through the guys, some of them still in their towels, getting to Scott's locker. I hadn't heard anything from him and was still worried. But when I got to his locker, all of my worries disappeared when I saw him sitting on the bench.

"Thank God." I breathed out, falling onto the bench next to him. Scott glanced at me with a small smile. Then I smacked his shoulder, "Don't do that ever again." I pointed at him. Scott nodded and then looked away.

"I'm sorry." He softly said, "I didn't know what to do. So I just ran."

"Where'd you even go?" I asked.

"To Allison's." Scott answered me truthfully. I raised my eyebrows and caught his eye. He looked away from me though, embarrassed.

"What were you going to do?"

"All I knew was that I had to see her." Scott sat up a bit straighter, "I didn't even know I was there until I saw her in her bedroom."

"You were on her _roof_?!" My eyebrows shot up, "Scott, that's like stalker, code red!" I hissed out.

"I know!" Scott turned to look at me, "I know." He rested his elbows on his knees, "And then she shut her curtains and I saw my reflection….and I was…I transformed." Scott whispered. "I was a wolf." I stayed quiet, "And it scared me so bad, that I went tumbling off the roof." I snorted.

"That's what you get for creepin." I nudged my best friend, making him laugh a bit, "But I'm glad you're okay."

"You gonna try to convince me not to play?" Scott asked, glancing at me. And then his eyes flicked up to over my shoulder. I looked over to see Stiles standing above us, gear in hand. He sighed and looked at me before sitting down on the bench.

"I just hope you know what you're doing." Stiles answered.

"If I don't play, I lose first line and Allison." Scott replied, looking away from the two of us.

"Allison's not going anywhere." I shook my head, "And if she does, then she wasn't really worth it."

"And it's one game that you really don't need to play." Stiles added on.

"I wanna play!" Scott protested, "I wanna be on the team. I wanna go out with Allison. I want a semi-freaking normal life. Do you get that?" His eyes flicked in between me and Stiles. I nodded and gave him a small smile.

"I get it. Just try not to worry too much while you're out there, okay? Or get too angry." Stiles advised.

"I got it." Scott tapped his foot on the ground.

"Or stressed."

"I _got_ it."

"Don't think about Allison being in the stands." I added on.

"Or that her father's trying to kill you." Stiles continued.

"Or that Derek's trying to kill you."

"Or the girl _he_ killed." Stiles sat up a bit.

"Or that _you_ might kill someone." I added.

"If a hunter doesn't kill you first—" Scott glared at us. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry." I mumbled, "We'll stop." Coach blew the whistle, letting the team know we had to be out on the field.

"Good luck." Stiles sighed as he got to his feet. I followed suit, patting Scott's shoulder before we headed out of the locker room with the rest of the team.

The bleachers were already packed when I stepped on to the sidelines of the field with Scott and Stiles. People were cheering with signs and popcorn, talking amongst themselves. As I scanned the bleachers, Allison waved to me from the popcorn stand. I waved back, noticing she was with an older man, who was probably her dad. I spotted Mom and Dad sitting next to Mrs. McCall and the sheriff. Mom gave me a thumbs up as Dad winked at me.

"Scott!" Lydia's voice trilled as she came up to us.

She grabbed Scott by the front of his jersey, yanking him forward. Stiles' jaw dropped and a little noise came out of his mouth as he put his hand out in front of me. Stiles didn't realize how close I was and his hand came in contact with my boob. I jumped a little, as did Stiles and his head flicked down to see where his hand was. Then he took it away so fast, I thought he was touching a red hot curling iron, not my boob. I raised my eyebrows at him as he shook out his hand.

"First boob touch?" I innocently asked. Stiles glared at me and walked off to the bench.

"Lele!" I heard from behind me. I spun around to see Connor jogging up to me. I felt my stomach drop but forced a smile on my face.

"Hey!" I grinned at him as he got closer. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. "Uh, what are you doing here?!" I said, actually surprised.

"Winter break, remember?" Connor said, pulling down his jacket.

"Uh, no." I was still smiling. Connor lightly punched me.

"I told you I was coming home, idiot."

"No, ya didn't." I shook my head, "I would've remembered."

"Leah, I told you." Connor became serious, "It was on Wednesday. I told you I was coming to see you play. I have the texts." Connor went for him phone but I waved him away from it.

"Yeah, you're totally right. Of course you did." I lied, "Right, you came to see me…play." I bit my lip and rocked back on my heels, looking around the field.

"Mystic Falls, right? God, this is gonna be an easy win." Connor bobbed his head as he looked at the opposing team. "Especially since you and Scott are on first line." I let out a laugh.

"Right, yeah." I got lightly punched in the shoulder again. "I, uh, gotta go. Have to talk to Coach about some…things." I came up with an excuse, "But I'll talk to you after."

"Good luck!" Connor gave me a proud smile before stepping back. I gave him a thumbs up as I turned. The smile fell off of my face as soon as my back was to him. I had no recollection of Connor saying he was coming to the game, I didn't remember the conversation at all. I pulled my phone out of my warm up pocket and scrolled through our texts, landing on the exact conversation he was referring to. I had even told him I was playing first line. I was an idiot.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and stomped over to Coach, who was talking to Jackson. "Coach, I need to talk to you. Right now." I said, getting his attention. Coach looked over to me as Jackson got off the bench.

"Kane, I told you I'm not putting you on the field."

"You have to." I immediately shot back.

"Give me one good reason." Coach made a face. I grabbed the top of his head and turned it so he was looking to the bleachers where Connor was sitting with my parents.

"That's why. Connor, aka one of your best players, is here. And he's expecting to see me play." I let go of Coach's head, letting him face me again, "And what do you think he's gonna do when he sees me on the bench? You don't want to disappoint your favorite player." I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at Coach. Coach let out a huff and looked around the field.

"_Fine._ You get ten minutes on the field."

"A full quarter." I said back. Coach narrowed his eyes at me and let out another breath.

"Whatever." He waved his hand at me, "Greenberg! You're on bench!" I smirked to myself before going over to the bench to drop off my stuff and get out of my warm up gear.

The referee blew the whistle a few minutes later, signaling that we should take our places. I jogged up next to Scott, who looked at me through his helmet.

"You ready?" I asked. Scott blew out a breath, letting it puff out in the air.

"No." He answered me before I jogged over to the other side of the field to take my position. I crouched down as Jackson took the center position. The kid in front of me whistled lowly.

"Looks like we got ourselves a Barbie over here." He called out to rest of his team. "Who's dick did you have to suck to get on the team? FYI, girls don't play lacrosse." I glared at him, but didn't respond as the whistle blew. I used all my strength and shoved up against him, slamming him to the ground. He went down hard and I heard him groan.

"Welcome to the twenty first century, bitch." I said staring down at him, "Oh and FYI, you just got your ass kicked…by a girl." I gave him a charming smile before running off.

Max passed to me as I ran down the side of the field. I easily caught it but slowed down as I realized that I was surrounded. I spotted Scott standing off to the side, completely open. He was looking at me so I flicked my wrist and sent the ball flying right to him, but another one of the guys came out of nowhere and caught the ball, leaving Scott on the sidelines. He looked at me and I shrugged.

"Sorry!" I called out before taking off down the field. The ball was knocked out of Harry's cradle as he tried to get around a defenseman, and the ball went rolling on the ground. I spotted it and then looked up to Scott, who was closer to me. We made eye contact for a split second before he took off running. I looked around to see Jackson going for it as well. Then Jackson slammed against Scott, knocking him to the ground in order to scoop up the ball. I ran over to Scott as Jackson scored our first goal.

"That should be a penalty." I said as I helped Scott to his feet. Scott was silent as the crowd went wild for Jackson's goal. Our teammates were doling out high fives and fist bumps as we stood off to the side a bit.

"We'll get the next one." I patted my best friend's shoulder as we walked back to reset. I looked around the crowd, my eyes being drawn to the sign Allison and Lydia were holding up that proclaimed their love for Jackson.

"Ugh." I rolled my eyes, "She even pretends not to know how to spell." I grimaced as I glanced to Scott. His face had hardened and a little growl escaped from his mouth. I stared at him, realizing how heavy his breathing was.

"You good?" I asked. Scott nodded. The starting whistle blew, forcing me to go to my position. I kept my eyes on Scott, watching him crouch down jogging over to the opposite side of the field. This time, the other guy didn't say a word. I smirked to myself as the whistle blew. I took off down the field; Jackson had the ball and was running for the goal.

"Jackson!" I called out, "I'm open!" I looked ahead to see that there was a defenseman right in Jackson's path, "Jackson!" I yelled, trying to get him to pass to me. Jackson chose not to hear me and went around the guy, shooting the ball into the net for a goal. I felt my jaw click as I ran up to him.

"What the hell was that!?" I cried out as the crowd cheered. Jackson glanced at me, "I was open!"

"I made the shot." Jackson said, going to walk away.

"I could've made a better shot!" I went after him, "Hey, Jackson!" I shoved his good shoulder, trying to get his attention, "I'm your teammate, asshole!" I shoved him again, this time hard enough to make him stumble.

"Hey! Kane!" Coach blew his whistle, "Kane! Off the field!" My jaw dropped as I spun around to look at Coach. I ripped off my helmet to get a better look at him.

"Are you _fucking serious!?_" I yelled back, "I didn't do anything!"

"You hit a player on your team. Off the field!" Coach was flailing as he tried to get me off the field.

"So did Jackson! He practically _mauled Scott down!" _I flung my hand out.

"Kane!" Coach screeched. I let out an audible groan and stomped my foot. I rolled my head back and went for the sidelines, completely livid.

"Awh, don't be such a cry baby." A team member of the other team cooed as I stomped by him. I went for him, but two people stopped me.

"Leah, stop." Max grunted, trying to get me to calm down.

"Not worth it, Kane." Harry added on. I stopped fighting them and relaxed. I shoved away from them and turned around.

"Knock his ass to the ground so hard he sees stars." I said through gritted teeth. Harry nodded at me before I whirled around, braid flying around my shoulder, and stomping off the field. I saw Allison and Lydia still holding up the sign. I narrowed my eyes at it, trying to shoot arrows through it with my mind. Then I saw my family, Connor was booing, Mom and Dad gave me sad smiles. I averted my eyes from them as I got to Coach. He gave me a look as I passed him.

"Benched…for the rest of the game."

"Whatever." I grumbled, sitting down on the bench next to Stiles. I was _fuming_. I hadn't done anything wrong. I didn't even push Jackson that hard, he was just a big baby. He didn't pass to me, he didn't listen to the play. He was supposed to pass to me.

Stiles was smart and didn't say anything to me while the game continued on. We sat in silence as Mystic Falls came back, and even forged ahead into the last quarter of the game. We had a minute left and needed three points to win.

"Does Scott seem a little…werewolfy to you?" I quietly asked Stiles as the teams reset. Scott was hunched over and I swore I could hear his pants from where I sat. Stiles had been chewing on his glove the entire game.

"What? No. He's fine. We're gonna be fine." Stiles' eyes were trained on the field. I looked back to see the player behind Scott take a cautious step back. Then the whistle blew.

The ball somehow got into the air and I watched as Scott took off; running for it and using another player to launch himself into the air and catch the ball. Stiles' glove dropped out of his mouth as did my jaw. I leapt to my feet and ran down the sideline as soon as Scott took off running, weaving around the other players, dodging them as he ran full force down the field. I cheered him on as he went. He was getting closer to the goal and just at the right moment, he let the ball fly straight into the net.

"Yes!" I jumped up in the air, arms going up, "Yes! YES YES!" Scott looked at me and I could see the grin on his face. He jogged over to me and I cuffed his shoulders with my hands and leaned forward, gently knocking his helmeted head against my forehead.

"You scored a goal!" I cheered in his face.

"I know!"

"Do it again!" I was grinning like a madman.

"Okay!" Scott grinned at me before running back to the starting.

"Pass to McCall!" Coach was yelling out as he came running down the sideline, "Pass to McCall!"

"Pass to McCall!" Stiles was following, a huge grin on his face. I looked to Stiles and we high fived without even realizing it. Then I dropped my hand and quickly walked past him, back to the bench. Stiles sat down next to me, glove back in his mouth as the whistle blew.

I watched as the other team got the ball and tried to go for their goal, only to see Scott standing in front of him. I don't know what Scott did, but the kid passed the ball straight to Scott.

"Did the opposing team just deliberately pass us the ball?" Coach asked, coming up to us.

"Yes, I believe so, Coach." Stiles answered through a mouthful of glove.

"Interesting." Coach murmured to himself as I kept my eyes trained on the way Scott was moving. He moved quick enough to get back down the field. And then he flicked his wrist, sending the ball straight through the goalie's cradle and into the net. I jumped to my feet, cheering for my best friend as the whistle blew. I got up with Coach, going over to the sidelines to cheer for Scott as the referee came over.

"Doesn't count." He said to Coach.

"What do you mean it doesn't count?" Coach asked back.

"The ball's in the net!" I shouted, throwing my hand towards where the ball was in fact in the net. Stiles repeated after me.

"That's the goal of the game, is get the ball in the net!" Coach said, making the referee shake his head and sigh, giving up, "We got it." Coach laughed, blowing his own whistle.

With thirty seconds left, the ball was passed to Scott, who went for the goal. Stiles and I were back on the bench, watching Scott. The opposing team fanned out, getting as far away from him as possible. Scott was almost stalking down the field, looking like the other team was his prey.

"Oh this is not good." I murmured, slowly getting to my feet.

"No, Scott, no no." Stiles voiced his agreement. I chewed down on the end of my braid as I watched Scott's head flick around, taking in the other team.

"Scott, don't." I said, mainly to myself.

And at the last possible second, with two guys running at Scott, Scott hurled the ball into the goal, giving us the win. I threw my arms up in the air as the crowd went wild.

"Yes! Oh my God." I let out a relieved laugh as I looked to Stiles.

"Thank God." Stiles said, taking a step forward and hugging me. I froze in his arms at the same time he realized what he was doing. We both jumped apart and stared at each other.

"No."

"Never happened." Stiles said, making a face.

"What happened?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Exactly." Stiles pointed at me.

"Congratulations!" Connor said as he practically tackled me, "If Coach hadn't taken you out for that bullshit reason, you coulda scored the winning goal though." I laughed as I swayed under Connor.

"But I'm glad it was Scott." I grinned at my brother.

"Yeah, where is the rascal? Wanted to congratulate him." Connor let go of me and looked around the field. I looked to the bleachers to see Mom and the sheriff standing next to each other, the sheriff on his phone.

"Uh, I don't know." I distractedly said, "Hold on." Connor nodded and when I looked back again, he was off congratulating some other seniors.

"Mom?" I asked, "What's wrong?" Mom held up a finger to me. I glanced at Stiles, who met my gaze with a concerned look.

"They confirmed the killer to be an animal." I heard the sheriff say to Mom as he ended the phone call, "Derek Hale was let out of custody earlier this evening."

"Did they I.D. the body?" Mom asked back. I pretended I wasn't listening.

"Laura Hale." The sheriff replied, "Derek's sister." I felt my stomach drop when I heard what the sheriff said. Even though I knew who it was already, I still felt surprised. I wanted it to be someone else.

"Honey…" Mom started as she came off the bleachers. "Honey, we have to talk." She put her hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off.

"I have to go find Scott." I quietly said, before picking up my duffle and walking onto the field, towards the locker room.

"I'll, uh, go with her." I heard Stiles say. I slowed down a bit to let him catch up.

"I knew it." I whispered out.

"How in holy hell did you know that it was Laura Hale?" Stiles asked, rolling his head back. I dug into my duffle where I had stuffed the birthday party picture and handed it to Stiles.

"She looks like the girl we found."

"Why was she at your birthday party? Why am I cut out?" Stiles asked, shoving his finger against the picture.

"Because she used to baby sit me apparently. I thought I told you that." I said, glancing at him.

"Uh, no! You didn't!" Stiles' jaw was dropped as we walked to the locker room.

"Well, it doesn't really matter now, since she's…dead." I quickly raised my eyebrows as I opened the door to the school. We walked at a faster pace than usual, trying to get down the locker room quicker.

"Her brother murdered her."

"No, an animal did." I corrected him, "Didn't you hear your dad?"

"But Derek _is _an animal." Stiles rolled forward on his feet. I pulled my lips in and looked around the dark hallway as we walked.

"And if Derek's out of jail, that means he's gonna come for Scott." Stiles continued.

"I know. I know." I said in a hushed tone. Stiles opened the door to the locker room and we hurried inside. Stiles was ahead of me and got out into the opening first.

"Oh God." I heard him mumble and he turned around, pushing me back.

"What?" I mouthed out. Stiles shook his head. I rolled my eyes and shoved by him, peering around the lockers to see Scott and Allison on full make out mode. I felt my jaw drop and I put my hand over my mouth to contain my squeal as I whirled back around to face Stiles. He crouched down to look around the lockers again, and I stood on my tiptoes to watch as well. I couldn't stop smiling as I watched Scott kiss Allison and Allison kiss Scott back.  
Then Allison laughed a little, both of them pulling back. She was grinning, Scott was grinning, I was grinning.

"I, uh, I gotta get back to my dad." Allison whispered, stepping away from Scott. Scott nodded as Allison kissed him again. She turned away from him and walked out of the shower area. I yanked Stiles back, not wanting her to see us, but it was too late.

"Hey Stiles. Hey, Leah." Allison said in a friendly voice. I gave her a grin as Stiles waved back.

"Hey, yeah…" Stiles said, as she walked out of the locker room. Scott was grinning as Stiles and I stepped out into the open.

"I kissed her." Scott said, utterly proud of himself.

"I saw." Stiles nodded. I couldn't stop smiling at my best friend.

"She kissed me." Scott whispered out as if he couldn't believe it.

"Saw that too." I said, rocking back on my heels.

"That's pretty good, huh?" Stiles asked, raising his eyebrows a bit.

"I—I—I don't know how, but I controlled it. I pulled it back." Scott looked so proud of himself as he talked, "Maybe I can do this. Maybe it's not that bad." Stiles and I shared a look. I didn't want to tell Scott about Derek. Not after what he just managed to pull off.

"Yeah!" Stiles let out a laugh, "We'll talk later, then." He slapped Scott's shoulder and went to turn around when Scott caught the change in our attitudes.

"What?" Scott asked, looking at the both of us. Stiles glanced at me and I looked away, letting him decide.

"The, uh, medical examiner looked at the other half of the body we found. And…well, I'll keep it simple. Medical examiner determines killer of girl to be animal, not human. Derek's human, not animal. Derek not killer….Derek let out of jail." Stiles flailed a bit as he ended the story. Scott's jaw dropped a bit.

"Are you kidding?" He incredulously asked.

"No, and here's a bigger kick in the ass. My dad I.D.'d the dead girl. Both halves. Her name was Laura Hale." Stiles continued.

"Hale?" Scott asked. I crossed my arms over my chest as Stiles looked at me before blowing out a breath and looking back at Scott.

"Derek's sister." Stiles finished.

"Oh my God." Scott whispered out, "He killed his own sister."

"There you are!" Connor's voice echoed around the locker room as he came in. Stiles and I turned as Connor jogged up to us. He slung an arm around my shoulders and stood in between Stiles and I.

"You." Connor pointed at Scott, "You were _amazing_." Connor reached forward and slapped Scott's shoulder. Scott managed an embarrassed laugh.

"Thanks, Connor." Connor nodded at him before looking at me.

"Well _I_ want to go out for dinner to celebrate. You guys in?" Connor looked around the group. Scott nodded a bit as Stiles made a face.

"I'm, ah, not hungry. Didn't really play."

"You'll get there." Connor nodded at Stiles, "If you want, I could show you a few moves."

"I'm good." Stiles pulled his lips down, "Thanks." I rolled my eyes and looked at Connor.

"Come on, let's go." I slipped out from under Connor's grasp and turned him around to start walking out of the locker room. If there was one way to stop thinking about Derek and Laura and all of the werewolf stuff, it was through going out to eat with Connor and letting him talk college to us until our ears bled. We had won one game, now we had to win about a thousand more.

* * *

_**A/N: Finally finished episode two! I'm so happy. Yes. So thank you all for following and favoriting this story! And big thanks to those who reviewed: RHatch89, kathrynwerewolves14, chey, and Readingbeyondyourvocab! Love you all! xxx**_


	10. Chapter 10

The newest Young the Giant album played softly through the speakers as I came down the stairs on Monday. I picked up Webster as I walked through the living room, scratching him behind the ears as I got to the kitchen. Connor was at the counter, pouring batter into a waffle maker. He was humming softly to himself as he moved around the kitchen, rinsing out the dishes he had used and such. I hopped up on a stool and placed Webster on the counter as Connor turned around.

"Get that rodent off of the counter." He pointed at Webster with the spatula.

"Oh my god, shut up." I said, rolling my eyes, "He's not doing anything."

"He's gonna get cat hair in the waffles." Connor protested.

"I'll eat that waffle then." I said, making my eyes wide as I rested my chin in my hands. Connor gave me a look. I sighed and picked up Webster, gently putting him down on the ground. He scampered away, letting me turn back to Connor.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" I asked as Connor slid a waffle in front of me.

"Uh, they left early this morning. I hadn't even gotten back from my run yet." His brow furrowed as he sipped his coffee, "Something must've happened." I shrugged, not really caring because it hadn't reached the news yet, so it must not have been that bad.

I finished my waffle a few minutes later and placed my dishes in the dishwasher. I skipped to my favorite song as I passed by the speakers. Connor shot me a look and I shrugged.

"Hey, do you want a ride to school today?" Connor asked as I walked back around the counter, going for the living room to go upstairs and get changed. I stopped walking and looked at my brother, debating for a minute before nodding.

"Yeah, that'd be cool." I said with a shrug. "I'll be ready in five."

"Sounds good." Connor nodded at me and I spun around to go back upstairs and get changed. I pulled on my jeans and distressed crop top sweater. I slipped on a leather jacket and grabbed a pair of high tops. I left my hair natural as I grabbed my backpack and went down the stairs. I went to the back door to grab my lacrosse gear and skateboard.

"Ready." I said as I slipped my duffel bag over my shoulder. Connor nodded at me and grabbed his keys as I opened the front door. I glanced down at the McCall house to see that Scott's bike was gone; he had already gone off to school.

Connor drove as fast as our grandmother, which wasn't very fast at all. I rolled my head to the side to look at him as he tapped his hands against the steering wheel.

"Con, I could _skate_ faster than you're driving." I said in a monotone. Connor chuckled, but never took his eyes off the road.

"Sorry, Lele. You took the offer."

"You offered." I grumbled, "I forgot how slow you drive. By the time I make it to school, it'll be lunch." Connor snorted and shook his head.

"How is the old alma mater?" Connor asked. I gave him a look before shaking my head.

"It's fine. Harris is still an asshole, the VP and I are tight and that's about it." I glanced over at my brother, "Nothing's really changed."

"Yeah, but I like hearing about it." Connor said with a shrug as he pulled into the school parking lot. I rolled my eyes as Connor pulled up to the curb. I saw Scott waiting by the bike rack, looking anxious.

"Well, thanks. See ya." I said, pushing out of the car. I slammed the passenger door and hurried over to Scott.

"Oh thank God." Scott breathed out as I got to him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." I said, searching his face, "Are you okay?"

"No, no I'm _so far_ from being okay." Scott rolled his head back.

"Well, what happened? Did something happen with Derek? Or Allison?" I reached out to touch his arm.

"Got here as fast as I could." Stiles' said, making me jump a bit. I glanced over to see his chest heaving and falling as if he had just run to school rather than driven his Jeep.

"What happened?!" I cried out, stomping by foot.

"I had a dream!" Scott shouted back. I pulled back, eyes wide as I looked at him.

"A dream?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest, "You had a dream and _that's_ what you're freaking out about?"

"Depends on what the dream was about." Stiles said, pointing a finger gun at me, "Cause it could be good freaking out or bad freaking out." I made a face at him and pushed his finger away from my personal space.

"It was bad." Scott breathed out, "Very bad."

"Well, stop stalling and tell us!" I waved my hands around in the air.

"Maybe if you shut up for five seconds—" Stiles started.

"Maybe if you weren't such a Spazz—" I shot back.

"Guys!" Scott cried out, "Just listen!" Stiles and I both shut up and looked to Scott. Scott huffed and looked around the school grounds before launching into his story.

"So we were at some school dance, and I took her outside to the bus lot. And we went onto one of the buses—"

"Oh God, please tell me this isn't a sex dream." I made a face, "As much as I love you, I don't need to hear about your sex dreams."

"Awh, is someone jealous?" Stiles asked as we walked to the front steps. I shoved him.

"I've had plenty of sex dreams." I said, flipping my hair.

"Ew, why? Why do you have to do that?" Stiles asked, shivering, "Now I'm gonna have nightmares all day." I smirked at him as Scott continued.

"Anyway we were making out on the bus and then I started to shift. She tried to get away, but I went after her, grabbing her ankle and dragging her to the back of the bus. I mean, she kicked me—"

"Good for her. Defending herself even in the dream." I made a face.

"Seriously, shut up!" Stiles flailed about.

"Okay, sorry, just adding my own commentary." I put my hands up in the air.

"Some of us are trying to analyze his dream." Stiles said. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"She managed to get to the doors of the bus and was trying to get them open as I went after her. And she was all bloody and then I grabbed her and she screamed." Scott ended as he opened the door to the school. I walked in after Scott, not holding the door for Stiles.

"So you killed her." Stiles simply said as he got hit in the back with the door.

"I don't know." Scott shrugged, "I just woke up. And I was sweating like crazy, and I couldn't breathe. I've never had a dream where I woke up like that before." The three of us were walking down the hall, Scott in the middle of me and Stiles.

"Really? I have." Stiles made a face. "Usually ends a little differently." I made a disgusted face and looked around Scott to Stiles.

"And you tell me not to tell _you _about my sex dreams." I said.

"It's different! Cause you—!"

"A, I meant I've never had a dream that felt that real." Scott cut Stiles off, "And B, never give me that much detail about you in bed again. Either of you." Scott pointed from Stiles to me and then back. "Noted." Stiles and I both mumbled at the same time.

"Let me take a guess here." Stiles continued.

"Oh, here we go." I muttered.

"No, I know, you think it has something to do with me going out with Allison tomorrow, like I'm gonna lose control and rip her throat out." Scott said.

"No, of course not." Stiles quickly said. I cocked an eyebrow, "Yeah, that's totally it." Scott slumped down and groaned, "Hey, come on, it's gonna be fine, all right? Personally, I think you're handling this pretty freakin' amazingly."

"Scott, seriously, you're doing fine. I mean, better than fine. If it was either one of us, we'd be sinking. Well, I mean, I wouldn't. Stiles would be." Stiles gaped at me. I gave him a charming smile. He glared at me before sighing.

"And you know, it's not like there's a lycanthropy for beginners class you can take." Stiles pointed out.

"Yeah, not a class, but maybe a teacher." Scott gave Stiles a pointed look.

"Who, Derek?" Scott shrugged. Stiles and I both stopped walking to smack Scott upside the head, " You forgetting the part where we got him tossed in jail?"

"And plus he murdered his sister. And is a total creep."

"And yet, you still have a thing for him." Stiles made a face. I gave him a look, "What is it with Barbies and bad boys."

"Awh, you're just jealous. Maybe if you weren't such a—" Scott put his hand over my mouth.

"But chasing her, dragging her to the back of the bus, it felt so real." I licked his palm, getting him to drop it as we got to the end of the hall. We were going to the locker rooms to drop our stuff off.

"How real?" Stiles asked.

"Like it actually happened." Scott said as we pushed through the double doors. We were faced with the bus lot, which was crowded with police and crime scene investigators. The bus had been completely ripped apart, the back door hanging off with claw marks and blood. A seat was ripped off, blood was staining the ceiling and windows.

"I think it did." Stiles whispered as I glanced away from the scene to look at Scott. He was beginning to freak out. And then he whirled around and hurried back into school.

"She's probably fine." Stiles said as Scott walked through the crowding halls.

"Maybe she overslept." I shrugged as I tried to catch up with Scott.

"She's not answering my texts, guys." Scott groaned.

"It could just be a coincidence, all right?" Stiles flailed a bit.

"A seriously amazing coincidence." I muttered, giving Stiles the side eye.

"Just help me find her, okay?" Scott glanced at the two of us. I searched the people littering the halls, none of them looking like Allison. I peered down hallways and into classrooms as Scott continued to freak out.

"Do you see her?" I asked Stiles.

"No." He answered as Scott whirled around and went to a locker, slamming into it and punching it with his werewolf strength.

I flinched and stopped walking. Scott was breathing heavily and he stepped back, looking like he was about to cry. I opened my mouth to warn him that he was going to run into someone, but it was too late. Scott knocked into Allison, making him spin around as she laughed at him. I let out a sigh of relief and glanced at Stiles, the two of us watching Allison and Scott before the speaker clicked on.

"Attention, students, this is your principal. I know you're all wondering about the incident that occurred last night to one of our buses. While the police work to determine what happened, classes will proceed as scheduled." I let out a sigh as a groan rippled through the crowd.

"She just ruffled his hair." Stiles said. I felt my brow furrow as I looked over to the couple. Allison was walking by Scott and towards us. I gave her a smile.

"Leah." Allison grinned at me and I turned away from Stiles.

"Allison." She linked her arm through mine as we walked to English class. "Did you ruffle Scott's hair?" I asked. Allison laughed.

"Yeah, was that totally not cool?" She asked, nose scrunching up a bit.

"It was kinda Mom-ing him." I responded, scrunching up my nose as well. Allison groaned.

"I didn't mean to! It just felt natural." I laughed at Allison as she slipped into her homeroom.

I went through my morning classes with ease. Everyone was talking about what happened in the bus lot. The police were still out there, looking for the victim as classes went on. The teachers tried to direct the lessons away from the attack, but it wasn't working. I knew Scott had done something, but because there was nothing to go from it; no news reports about it, I was kinda stuck making up my own theories.

Scott and Stiles were talking about it during Chemistry. I was sitting at the same lab table as Stiles, just across from him. Scott was at the table in front of us, but he was turned around on the stool, in order to talk to us.

"Maybe it was my blood on the door." Scott whispered, tapping his pen against his knee.

"Could have been animal blood." Stiles shrugged, "You know, maybe you caught a rabbit or something."

"And did what?" Scott asked.

"Ate it." Stiles stated. I made a face and continued to doodle on my notebook.

"Raw?" Scott sounded disgusted.

"No, you stopped to bake it in a little werewolf oven. I don't know, you're the one who can't remember anything." Stiles motioned to Scott, "You're just as bad as Blondie."

"Hey-!" I started, looking up at Stiles.

"Mr. Stilinksi!" Harris got our attention, "If that's your idea of a hushed whisper, you might want to pull the headphones out every once in a while." I made a face at him.

"I think you and Mr. McCall would benefit from a little distance, yes?"

"No." Stiles protested the non protestable question. Harris gave him a look and then motioned for them to switch. Stiles groaned and hopped off his stool.

"Let me know if the separation anxiety gets to be too much." Stiles let out a dry laugh as he came around to the empty stool next to me. I gave him a look as he sat down next to me.

"Did you shower today?" I asked.

"What? You don't enjoy my natural odor?" Stiles asked back. I gagged and went back to doodling in my notes.

"It couldn't have been a rabbit." I offhandly said.

"Yeah, I know."

"A rabbit couldn't have produced that much blood." I said as I drew the phases of the moon in my notebook. "Unless he sprayed it around, axe murderer style..."

"You're sick. Do you know that? God, do you lay awake at night and just think about these things?"

"Oh yeah, you know me and my love for blood and killing." I made a face, "Really helps me get going when I flick the bean." Stiles stared at me.

"I hate you." He whispered out.

"I think they found something!" Harley said from up front.

All of us jumped off of our stools and went over to the window. Scott, Stiles and I were towards the back, but were still able to watch Dad roll out a guy on a gurney. He was ripped and battered and bloody. I leaned forward a bit just as the guy decided to jump up. I let out a startled scream as Stiles' arm went out in front of me. I clapped my hand over my mouth and looked around the room as Stiles and Scott took a couple steps back. Scott reached out and tugged me with him.

"Okay. This is good, this is good." Stiles was saying as I tried to calm myself down, "He got up, he's not dead. Dead guys can't do that." He was babbling.

"Stiles…_I _did that." Scott said as the bell rang. I rubbed my hand over my mouth before putting my hands on my hips.

"But he's not dead. So you didn't kill anyone." I shrugged, making a face, "So that's a win." Scott stared at me. I slumped down and let out a sigh.

"Sorry."

"We can talk more at lunch, yeah?" Stiles asked, "Yeah, let's go get some lunch." He patted Scott's shoulder and walked back to the lab table. I reached out and rubbed Scott's arm before going over to grab my backpack.

The hallways were crowded with students trying to get to their next class. I walked with Stiles and Scott before Allison caught my eye and waved me over.

"Uh, save me a seat." I said, with a nod to Scott. Scott looked like he barely registered what I said. I screwed my mouth to the side as I stepped back from the boys, going over to Allison.

"Are you coming to lunch?" Allison asked. I looked over my shoulder to where the boys were going up the stairs and then looked back to Allison.

"Uh, yeah…why wouldn't I be?" Allison shrugged.

"I don't know. I was just gonna sit with you guys today." Allison shut her locker door, "And I invited Lydia and Jackson to come too." Allison gave me a bright grin.

"Fantastic." I softly said, lifting my chin up in the air and giving her an exaggerated smile. "Yaaaay!"

"It'll be good. Merging you guys all together."

"Super fun." I dryly said. Allison stopped walking and grabbed my arm.

"Did I totally screw up?" Allison asked, "I mean, I know you don't like Lydia or Jackson, but they're my friends too and I want—"

"Allison, shut up." I put my hand up to cut the girl off, "It's fine. I'll deal with it. We can be civil." I nodded at her and Allison relaxed.

"Okay, good." She started walking again, "Cause I really think you and Lydia would be good friends if you could just bury the hatchet."

"It's a pretty massive hatchet." I said, blowing out a breath. Allison gave me a small smile before looking forward again.

"So Scott and I were planning on going out tomorrow…" Allison started, glancing at me, "And I was wondering if you knew anywhere that he liked to go." She finished. I blew out a breath and tipped my head back.

"Let's see…" I thought about Allison's question for a moment, "He'd really be up for anything." I shrugged, "Nothing too specific that he would absolutely say no to." Allison groaned a bit.

"What?!" I shouted out, raising my hands, "You asked for my opinion."

"I thought you were going to be more specific." Allison laughed out, "No, it's fine. We'll think of something."

"Oh, please don't become one of those _we_ couples." I said, scrunching up my nose as we got to the cafeteria. Allison's brow furrowed, "_We_ like to go to the park. _We _don't like coffee. _We _–"

"Okay, okay." Allison laughed, "_I _get it." She made her eyes wide and shook her head around.

"If you become one of those couples, I'll shoot you." I seriously said.

"I'll hand you the gun." Allison laughed as she opened the door to the cafeteria. I tried not to smile, but ended up laughing to myself and rolling my eyes.

"Hey, Allison." Lydia bounced up next to Allison and gave me a look, "Leah." She ended it with a tight smile.

"Lydia." I returned the smile, "Hey, uh, I know you're in AP Lit and Comp, so, uh, shouldn't that teach you how to spell _love_?" I asked, referring back to the poster she held at the game, "Or am I missing something?" Lydia narrowed her eyes at me and I could see that she wanted to snap back at me but instead she tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned to Allison. I rolled my eyes and made a disgusted face, tossing my hair over my shoulder as I turned to the lunch line. I eavesdropped on Allison's conversation with Lydia. They were talking about Allison's date tomorrow and I felt a sense of pride that I was told before Lydia.

"They're over there." I said, lifting my tray towards where the boys were sitting. Lydia stepped in front of us and sauntered over to their table. I rolled my eyes and rocked back on my heels as Allison walked in front of me.

"For Allison." I whispered to myself before walking after Allison.

When I got to the table, the only seat left was one next to Stiles. Stiles saw me and scrambled to get his backpack, but I was faster. I slammed my tray down and then grabbed the chair, pulling it out and sitting down.

"Can't get rid of me that easy." I said, scooting forward. Then I realized who I was sitting next to. I glanced to Lydia, seeing that she was sitting next to Scott and had Jackson on her other side, then it was Danny, then Stiles. I was out of luck since Allison was sitting on the other side of Scott. I groaned to myself and slumped down in my seat as I picked up my apple, rolling it in between my fingers.

"So I hear they're saying it's some type of animal attack." Danny said, starting the conversation up, "Probably a cougar." He leaned forward.

"I heard mountain lion." Jackson chimed in. I saw Lydia's head flick to the side.

"A cougar is a mountain lion." She snapped out. I raised my eyebrows, impressed that she was finally showing off her intelligence. Jackson cocked a brow and I saw Lydia's brow furrow.

"Isn't it?" She dumbly asked. I rolled my eyes. So much for that.

"Who cares?" Jackson asked back, "The guy's probably some homeless tweaker who's gonna die anyway."

"Actually, I just found out who it is." Stiles said, silding forward, phone in his hand. While the rest of the table was debating, Stiles was doing research, I had to give it to him.

"Check it out." Stiles pressed play on his phone and I leaned over so I could see the video playing. Mom and the sheriff were onscreen, walking around the bus.

"The Sheriff's department won't speculate on details of the incident but confirmed the victim, Garrison Meyers, did survive the attack." The voice over said as the clip switched to a picture of the victim, "Meyers was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition." The video stopped and Stiles pulled his arm back. I realized how close I was to him, almost on top of him and quickly pulled back.

"I know that guy." Scott said, pointing to Stiles' phone.

"You do?"

"Yeah, when I used to take the bus back when I lived with my dad." I flinched at the memory of Scott living with his dad. Even though it had only been for a month, it was still horrible. Scott only came over on weekends and I barely saw him at school.

"He was the driver." Scott mumbled the last part. I stared at my best friend, catching his gaze and raising an eyebrow. He gave me a small smile.

"Can we talk about something slightly more fun, _please_?" Lydia asked, stabbing her salad, "Like, oh, where are we going tomorrow night?" Allison almost choked on her water. I bit down into my apple as Allison raised her eyebrows, not knowing what was going on.

"You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night, right?" Lydia asked, staring at Allison.

"Um, we were thinking of what we were gonna do." I glared at Allison, she didn't catch it; she was too busy looking to Scott.

"Well, I am _not_ sitting home again watching lacrosse videos, so if the four of us are hanging out, we are doing something _fun_." Lydia simply said, stabbing at her salad again. I felt my stomach drop at the phrase, _hanging out_.

"Hanging out? Like, the four of us? Do you wanna hang out, like us and them?" Scott asked, beginning to freak.

"Yeah, I guess. Sounds fun." Allison shrugged, not really understanding what was wrong with the situation.

"You know what else sounds fun? Stabbing myself in the face with this fork." Jackson picked up the fork and mimed stabbing himself in the face. Lydia grabbed it out of his hand and sighed.

"How 'bout bowling? You love to bowl." Lydia said. I furiously chomped into my apple. The power couple were killing me.

"Yeah, with actual competition." Jackson snorted.

"Well, then you'll have to go on a date with me, Ally." I said, looking to Allison with a shrug. Allison laughed.

"How do you know we're not actual competition?" Allison raised her eyebrows as she leaned forward, "You can bowl, right?" She nudged Scott.

"Sort of." Scott muttered. I wanted to chuck my apple at Scott. He hadn't bowled since my eighth birthday. And he sucked even then.

"Is it sort of, or yes?" Jackson asked, moving his lunch aside to lean forward. Scott looked at Jackson and leveled his gaze with him.

"Yes. In fact, I'm a great bowler." Scott said. A piece of my apple got caught in the back of my throat and I started to choke on it. I coughed, getting Scott's attention. I turned to the side as I coughed, trying not to get it on Allison. Then the apple piece flew up and hit Stiles in the face. He spazzed, waving his hands around in the air as I took in a deep breath.

"You couldn't just _die_!?" Stiles freaked out, "You _had_ to spit it out on me!?" I heard Allison laughing and I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Next time I'm choking, I'll just remind myself not to go near you and then I'll _die._" I said, giving him a look. Stiles shivered and made some sort of noise as he turned back in his seat. I looked to Allison, who was grinning at us before she perked up.

"Oh my God! You and Stiles should come too!" She flicked her hand back and forth between Stiles and I. Stiles had chosen that moment to take a swig of his water and promptly let it spray out on me. I gasped and flinched back.

"Awh, you didn't melt." Stiles pouted.

"I'm going to kill you." I said, picking up my fork. Stiles smirked at me.

"Yeah, do you even know how to use that?" Stiles asked. I lunged for him, but Scott practically flew over the table to stop me.

"So that's a no." Lydia said, glancing at Allison.

I shot daggers at Stiles and furiously packed up my things, pushing out of my chair and stomping to the bathroom. The door banged open as I entered. I dropped my things and went to the sinks, staring at myself in the mirror. Stiles hadn't really done any damage. I pulled off my shirt and shoved it into my bag, trading it out for the extra I kept in my bag for lacrosse practice. I put my hair in a ponytail and dried off my face. Stiles was such an asshole.

"Stupid fucking Stiles with his stupid fucking water." I grumbled to myself as I shoved my sweater into my backpack.

I looked at myself in the mirror again before slinging my backpack around my shoulder and heading back into the cafeteria as the bell rang. I stomped my foot and went for the double doors.

"I don't understand why you have to do stuff like that to her." I heard Scott talking as I went out in the hall.

"Because she does it to me first." Stiles simply replied.

"Nah, man, I don't think she fully intended it to hit you. I think she was trying to get it out and you know, not die."

"Well, she could've turned the other way." They were up ahead a couple feet and I saw Stiles throw his arms back.

"You could've spit your water on Danny." Scott pointed out.

"I don't think Danny even likes me to begin with."

"I need you two to just be civil and help me through this. You guys are my two best friends. I need you to help me figure out why I did what I did to the bus driver _and_ how I'm gonna go out with Allison tomorrow."

"You're hanging out." Stiles corrected him. "You don't just hang out with hot girls."

"We hang out with Leah." Scott reminded Stiles. I slowed down a bit, watching Stiles' reaction. He made a face, like he was considering my hotness and then shrugged a bit, making an approving face.

"Yeah, but still. You might as well be her gay best friend."

"So we're Leah's gay best friends."

"You and Danny could hang out." Stiles pointed out.

"How is this happening? I either killed a guy or I didn't." Scott started rambling.

"I don't think Danny likes me very much." Stiles was talking to himself.

"I ask Allison on a date, and now we're hanging out." I walked a bit faster to catch up with him.

"Am I not attractive to gay guys?" Stiles continued to question.

"I make first line, and the team captain wants to destroy me, and now—" Scott looked at his phone, "Now I'm gonna be late for work." He hurried off, leaving Stiles there.

"Wait, Scott, you didn't- am I attractive to gay guys-! You didn't answer my question." Stiles sighed as I got to him, "That's cool."

"Are you trying to tell us you're gay cause if so, Connor owes me five bucks." I said, making Stiles jump. When he saw it was me, he relaxed and then perked back up again.

"You think I'm gay?" Stiles asked.

"Whaaaaa?" I made a face, "I have to get to class." I walked past him.

"Hey, no, Leah, wait." Stiles grabbed my arm and jerked me back.

"Oh, ow, okay no." I took my arm back and stared at Stiles. "What?" I asked, staring at him.

"I…uh…I just wanted to…" Stiles scratched the back of his head, "Yeah that thing at lunch." He looked me up and down, "You changed your shirt."

"I did." I raised my eyebrows, "Since your spit was all over my other one. Which is what I think you're trying to apologize for?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well, I just really didn't like that sweater you were wearing today and—and I thought you had to change."

"Sure you aren't gay?" I asked, squinting at him. Stiles gaped at me as the second bell rang. "Bye Stiles."

"Wait! Do you accept my apology?"

"What apology?" I called back over my shoulder. I heard Stiles groan as I walked into History.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, Scott came back from his shift to end out the day and we went home together. We talked about Scott's hangout with Allison and what we could do to find out what happened on the bus.

"Maybe we could go to Derek." I suggested. Scott gaped at me and stopped biking.

"You practically smacked all my brain cells out this morning when I suggested it!" Scott cried out. I made a face.

"I just…we don't know any other werewolf doctors around so…he's the best we got." I shrugged. Scott sighed and rolled his head back.

"Fine. I'll call Stiles later." Scott said as he maneuvered his bike down his driveway.

"Bye." I waggled my fingers at him and kicked off my board, walking the rest of the way to my house.

"Leah's home!" Connor called out as he came to the front door. I dropped my stuff and gave him a look.

"What's with the excitement? I come home every day." Connor laughed.

"I'm just happy to see you."

"And…?"

"And I want to know if you could give me your recipe to your awesome amazingly brownies." Connor slung an arm around my shoulder and walked me through the house. I laughed.

"Oh I see how it is."

"So is that a yes?" Connor asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Why do you need it?"

"Going to a party."

"Oh, with Steve?" I asked, waggling my eyebrows.

"Shut up." Connor shoved me. "And also, I know that you changed your shirt, but I'm not gonna ask why because I respect your privacy." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, okay." I slipped out from under his arm, "I'll give you the recipe."

"Have I told you lately that I love you? Cause I do. I love you." Connor said as I walked up the stairs. I let out a scoff and rolled my eyes.

I went into my room and to my desk, going to my bottom drawer and pulling it open. There was a small blue box at the bottom, labeled not to touch. It was my recipe box. I had started it when I was thirteen and it had continually grown as I gotten older. I baked and cooked when I was stressed and nervous. Which was better than when I was younger and I would stress _eat_.

"Thank you. I love you. Thank you." Connor said as I handed off the index card. I rolled my eyes as Connor got closer, trying to kiss me, "I love you. Thank you."

"Shut up." I said, pushing his face out of my way. I laughed, "Just don't rip the card or anything."

"I won't. I promise." Connor nodded and saluted me before going into the kitchen. I felt my phone buzz and looked down to see I had a text from Stiles.

_Picking you up in two. Going to the station. _

I sighed and shoved my phone back in my pocket, "I'm going out!" I called out.

"Kay!" Connor called back. I rolled my eyes and opened the front door, stepping outside as the Jeep came to a lurching stop in front of my house. I hurried down the front walk and into the Jeep.

"So this was your idea?" Stiles asked as soon as I shut the door.

"Yeah. Don't see you coming up with anything better." I snapped back as Stiles started to drive.

"Well, he's gonna murder us." Stiles matter of factly said. I rolled my eyes again and sat back in my seat as Stiles drove.

We got to the station five minutes and Stiles parked, letting the both of us out. Scott stayed in the car as watch. I hurried up the steps next to Stiles, who opened the door but didn't keep it open for me. I sighed as I caught the door and stepped inside. We went past the front desk, Stiles saluting Ted as I gave him a charming grin. Ted nodded at us and buzzed us in. Stiles went into his Dad's office, and I shut the door behind us.

"So Collins is out on patrol." Stiles started, "And Scott wants to go talk to Derek, all thanks to you, so what we're gonna do is…" And then Stiles pulled his Dad's dispatch walkie and tossed it at me. I caught it and put it in my bag.

"Have make a detour?" I asked. Stiles nodded. We went back out of the office and to the jeep where Stiles drove us to the Hale house, parking a little bit away, watching as the patrol car drove up in front of it. I gave the walkie to Stiles, who clicked it on as the call came in.

"It looks pretty deserted, dispatch. Did you want me to take a look inside?" Stiles glanced at me and I nodded.

"Unit sixteen, it's county property." Stiles said into the walkie. "Order's to make sure it's vacant."

"I don't-I don't think anyone's home." Stiles blew out a breath.

For the love of God, sixteen, go inside and see if anyone's there!" He ordered, sounding like his dad.

"Copy that." Collins said back. We watched him start to go forward, but the dog started to bark, spastically trying to get out of the car. Collins glanced back at the dog and shushed him.

"Why are we doing this again?" Stiles asked.

"What if I go to sleep one night and it's you I end up killing?" Scott asked, looking to Stiles, "How are you gonna feel if I kill you, Stiles?"

"I prefer not to feel anything, really." Stiles made a face and shrugged, "I have a very low tolerance for pain."

"I'd be okay with you killing Stiles." I said, leaning forward, and making a face.

"He'd probably kill you cause you're right next door." Stiles pointed out, "Which is fine cause then I don't die."

"Shut up." I said, staring at him.

"Collins is gone." Scott said, pushing open the door, "I'm gonna go talk to Derek."

"Fantastic." Stiles sighed.

"Don't die!" I called out after him. Scott slammed the door shut and I watched him disappear into the forest. I sat back in my seat and waited in silence for Scott to come back. Stiles didn't say anything either, instead tapping on the steering wheel to some beat in his head.

"Could you stop that, please?" I asked after a minute, "You're giving me a headache."

"Nah, I'm gonna keep going." Stiles pulled a face and continued to tap.

"You aren't even going to any real song." I said, leaning forward.

"Yeah I am. In my head." Stiles said gave me a look. I stuck out my tongue before pausing for a moment. Then I lunged forward and grabbed his wrists, trying to pull his hands away from the steering wheel.

"I said stop!"

"Let go of me!"

"Stop tapping!"

"Ow, your nails! You just scratched me!" Stiles was writhing back and forth in his seat, trying to get free. He managed to get one hand free and grabbed my hair.

"Ow! Let go!" I cried out as he tugged me back.

"Let go of my wrist!"

"Let go of my hair!" Both of us were screaming as I dug my fingers deeper into his wrist and he tightened his grip on my hair.

"Stop!" I dragged out the word.

"You started it!"

"No, you did!"

"Guys!" Scott's voice said from behind me. Stiles instantly let go of my hair and I let go of his wrist. Scott was looking at us, completely in awe.

"I can't believe you guys." He sighed out, shaking his head, "Can't leave you alone for two minutes."

"Sorry." Stiles and I both said at the same time. I pulled back to let Scott get in his seat.

"So what'd he say?" Stiles asked.

"We have to go back to the bus." Scott answered, "He said that's how I'll remember." I looked between Scott and Stiles.

"Well, let's go!" I said, raising my hands in the air. Stiles started the Jeep up and maneuvered it out of the woods, heading towards the school.

It was dark by the time we got to the bus lot. Stiles parked in front of the gate and all three of us started to get out and head for the fence. I started to climb it, as did Stiles, only to have Scott stop us.

"Hey, no, just me." Scott grabbed me and pulled me back off the fence. I gave him a look, "Someone needs to keep watch."

"Leah can." Stiles said as I said, "Stiles."

"No, both of you."

"What happened to the _not leaving us alone for two minutes?_" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah, How come we're always the ones keeping watch?" Stiles flicked his hand in between the two of us.

"Because there's only three of us. It's an odd number."

"So? Two go and one stay." I said, swaying my hips around. Scott stared at us.

"Okay, why's it starting to feel like you're Batman, I'm Robin and she's Batgirl? I don't want to be Robin all the time." Stiles pointed to himself.

"Yeah and Batgirl is lame!" I protested, "I wanna be Catwoman."

"Nobody's Batman or Robin or Catwoman any of the time!" Scott shouted at us. I pouted.

"I wanna be Catwoman."

"Not even some of the time?" Stiles asked.

"Just stay here." Scott growled out.

"Oh, my God!" Stiles overlapped as I groaned out a "_Fine_."

I whirled around on my toe and stomped back to the Jeep, wrenching open the passenger side door and climbing in as Stiles got in the driver's side. I watched Scott climb the fence and drop down on the other side. Stiles let out a sigh as I settled back in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest.

A few minutes went by with us in silence, until I decided to be the bigger person for once. I glanced over to Stiles and let my eyes dart down to his wrist where there were marks from my nails. I opened my mouth and looked back at his face.

"Sorry I scratched you." I said, shifting in my seat again and leaning my elbow against the window frame. Stiles glanced at me, doing a double take before letting out a little laugh and shaking his head.

"What? You don't forgive me?" I asked, glancing at him.

"Just never thought I'd hear you apologize to me." Stiles pulled down his lips and made a face.

"Well, unlike _some_ people, I know when to apologize for my actions." I shot back, dropping my arm down. Stiles barked out a laugh.

"Yeah, okay." I glared at Stiles as we fell back into a silence. Stiles was picking the steering wheel cover before sighing.

"I'm sorry I pulled your hair." He mumbled. I rolled my eyes and let out a pity laugh.

"Oh, come _on_. You aren't sorry. You're just mad it wasn't a wig."

"Oh, yeah, totally." Stiles laughed, glancing at me. I couldn't help but let out a little laugh along with him, shaking my head and looking over to him. He was still looking at me as our laughter died out and then both of us realized that we were looking at each other and quickly looked away.

"But still you deserved it." I said, making a face, "I mean, you can't keep a beat."

"Yeah, and you can't even hear a beat because you listen to bullshit music." Stiles agreed, pulling a face as he shook his head.

"You wouldn't even know good music if it hit you in the face." I snapped back.

"Oh, I so would." Stiles laughed out, "My music taste is better than yours."

"You're still stuck in eighth grade with your music."

"Hey! Those are some good bands!"

"No they aren't!" I shouted back, gaping at him, "Dude, you have to admit that some of your bands are never getting back together." Stiles' jaw clicked as he jutted out his chin before looking back out the windshield. He scrubbed his hand over his head and let out a sigh. Then he straightened up.

"Oh no." I looked to where he was looking to see a flashlight scan over the buses. Stiles slammed his hand on the horn, beeping quickly and alerting Scott. We watched as Scott ran off the bus and ran towards us, using a car to launch himself over the fence. He did a flip, landing on his feet and hurrying over to the Jeep. I quickly climbed in the back as Scott got in.

"Go! Go! Go!" I yelled out.

"Oh, nah, I was just gonna stay!" Stiles yelled back as he reversed the Jeep, turning the wheel sharply to turn around and head down the road away from the bus lot.

"Did it work? Did you remember?" Stiles shouted as we got onto the main road.

"Yeah, I was there last night." Scott hurriedly said, "And the blood- a lot of it was mine."

"So you did attack him." I stated, pushing my head in between the space.

"No!" Scott glanced back at me, "I saw glowing eyes in the bus, but they weren't mine. It was Derek."

"What about the driver?" Stiles asked as he ran a red light.

"I think I was actually trying to protect him." Scott's brow furrowed as did mine.

"Wait, why would Derek help you remember that _he_ attacked the driver?" I asked, "That doesn't make any sense."

"I don't get it either." Scott answered me.

"It's got to be a pack thing." Stiles shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, looking to Stiles.

"You know, like an initiation. You do the kill together."

"Because ripping someone's throat out is a real bonding experience?" Scott sarcastically asked.

"Yeah, Stiles would know." I said, making a face.

"But you didn't do it! Which means you're not a killer." Stiles laughed out, ignoring my comment. "And it also means that—"

"I can go out with Allison." Scott sighed out in relief. I made a face and looked at my best friend, nodding a bit.

"I was gonna say it means you won't _kill_ _me_." Stiles bobbed his head.

"Oh, yeah. That too." Scott nodded, looking to Stiles.

"So Derek almost killed another person." I said, flipping my hand around, "Laura and the bus driver. There's no link though."

"Well, there's not always a method to someone's madness." Stiles commented, "You would know." I gave him a look and lifted a finger gun up, pointing it at him. I fired off a shot and made a little noise to go with it.

_**A/N: So I can't figure out where the button is to make a line thing to separate the story from this so...yeah. Anyway, thank you all for favoriting/following! And serious thanks to those who reviewed: RHatch89, chey, idkimcanadian, ayine, CourtneyxWolf725, Readingbeyondyourvocab, and It's-A-Passion! You all rock my socks. xxx **_


	11. Chapter 11

_"I still have your underwear."_

_"I still have your virginity."_

"How many times have you played this movie?" Stiles asked as he came up to the front desk. I groaned and ripped a Twizzler apart.

"It's a classic, Spazz. And when you run this place, you can pick the movies." I said, glancing at him as he set the stack of werewolf movies on the desk.

"No, thanks." Stiles made a face and stepped back, hands on his hips. I looked from the movies and then back to the boy.

"These were due like a week ago." I said, waving my Twizzler around the stack. Stiles made some motion with his hand.

"Right, well, I was gonna return them and then Scott went wolf and…"

"And you owe me like fifteen dollars in late fees." I finished for him, scrunching up my nose. Stiles gaped at me.

"What?!" He rolled forward on his toes, "No! That's ridiculous."

"Maybe it you returned your movies on time…" I trialed off as I ate another Twizzler. I watched him groan and roll his head back as I smirked.

"Okay, how about this." Stiles threw his hand toward me, "I buy you dinner at Toby's."

"Oh, wow, so fancy." I made a face and settled back down on my elbows, "Or you could just pay the fee." Stiles groaned again.

"I'll throw in a large curly fry." He bargained. I raised my eyebrows and chewed on my Twizzler, "And a milkshake! Kane, please!" He clasped his hands in front of his face, "I only have my card on me." He pleaded.

"Fine." I said after a moment, "But you're driving." Stiles let out a breath of relief and let his arms drop.

"So can we go?" Stiles asked as I started to scan the movies back in.

"Uh…" I motioned to the stack of movies, "I have to do this thing called work."

"Well, what time do you get off?" Stiles asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Nine." I said, "But there's a police enforced curfew and—" Stiles cut me off with a laugh.

"When have _you _ever listened to what the police say?" Stiles asked. I smirked at him.

"Touché." I pointed a DVD at him, "Just go hang out with Scott or masturbate until I'm done."

"Scott's on his _hangout_." Stiles said, throwing his arm up in the air, "And I already did that today." I gave Stiles a look before shaking my head.

"Just go away and leave me be." I said, waving my hand at him, "I'll just meet you there." Stiles nodded and backed up, looking at the television screens.

"Such a dumb movie." He whispered to himself. I hurled the DVD at him, nailing him on the shoulder. Stiles flinched and gaped at me as he walked out. I smiled to myself and settled back into the scanning the movies back into the system.

Scott was out on his double date with Allison and the power couple. I spent the school day with him, trying to get him not to freak out and back out. But he was going to be fine. He even managed to snag the car from his mom, using the pity card. I had seen him leave when I left for work.

Allison had tried to get me to tag along with them, but I knew when I wasn't wanted. Lydia and Jackson surely didn't want me there, even though I would kick both of their asses. I was an ace at bowling. So I politely declined her offer and she said I owed her. I had even managed to get myself out of the part where she asked me to come over and help her get ready because I had work. I felt bad before remembering that Lydia would be there, who was a better help at getting people ready than I was.

"Yo, Leah." Jack made me look around the shelf I had been restocking, "It's nine. You can get out of here, if you want."

"Oh, I want." I said, shoving the movies haphazardly against the shelf. "I've wanted to get out of here since I got here."

"Woooow." Jack drew the word out as I walked back up to the counter.

"No offense." I added on. Jack rolled his eyes at me.

"Are you hurrying because of a certain boy?" Jack asked as I went to the computer.

"What?" I felt my brow furrow, "No." I scoffed out, "All I'm doing is going home and watching Netflix."

"Sure you are." Jack said with a knowing smile. I clicked on the clock out button and grabbed my time slip.

"Bye, Jack!" I sang out as I grabbed my board and bag and went for the door.

I set my board down and pushed off, heading towards the gas station. I needed to pick up another pack of Twizzlers , since I had ran out during work and there were none at the house. Twizzlers were like crack to me. When Scott and I were younger and we went trick or treating, he would give me all of his Twizzlers for my chocolate bars. I didn't mind one bit.

The Twizzlers were located in the back of the gas station with all the other candy. I grabbed a pack and went up to pay the cashier. I went for the door, but stopped when I saw what was happening outside. There was a black Camaro sitting at the pump with two Land Rovers blocking it in. There was a guy who looked like Allison's dad wiping the windshield of the other car. I looked over to see that the Camaro owner was Derek.

I couldn't hear what Mr. Argent was saying, so I quietly stepped outside, leaning against the building. Derek's stance was defensive, ready for an attack.

"If you have something this nice, you want to take care of it, right? Personally, I'm very protective of the things I love." Mr. Argent was saying as he continued to wipe the windshield. "But that's something I learned from my family. And you don't have much of that these days. Do you?" Mr. Argent looked at Derek. I watched Derek visibly tense up, which made Mr. Argent smile.

"There we go." Mr. Argent said, finishing the windshield and putting the wiper back, "You can actually look through your windshield now. See how that makes everything so much clearer?" Mr. Argent gave Derek a smile before turning away.

"You forgot to check the oil." Derek called out. Mr. Argent looked back at Derek and nodded.

"Check the man's oil." He said to one of the other guys, who was standing around Derek. The guy went up to the driver's side window and smashed it with a crowbar. I jumped in surprise.

"Looks good to me." The guy said, with a shrug. I snapped off a Twizzler and watched Mr. Argent bid Derek a good night. The men got into the Land Rovers and sped off, leaving Derek and I alone.

"Well, that was interesting." I spoke up, stepped off of the curb and walking to where the Camaro was.

"What are you doing here?" Derek asked, brushing the glass off of the car.

"It was like the Jets and the Sharks. I had no idea I was living in a musical." I made a face. Derek glared at me. "So I'm guessing there's…some bad blood there?" I waved the Twizzler around the space.

"You could say that." Derek all about growled out. I nodded.

"Good to know." I said, snapping off another bite of my Twizzler. Derek continued to make sure there was no more glass inside of his car.

"There's a mechanic's shop a little ways up." I said, "My brother used to play lacrosse with the guy who owns the place."

"Thanks for the tip." Derek gruffly said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Remind me never to help you out again." I raised my hands in the air, "Have a good one." I said, turning away. My phone buzzed in my pocket as I walked away from Derek.

"Spazz, why are you calling me?" I answered the phone with a sigh.

"Where the hell are you?" Stiles cried out, "I thought you were meeting me here!"

"Where?" I asked.

"Oh, come _on_, Barbie." Stiles scoffed out, "At Toby's!" I felt my brow furrow for a moment before I realized what he was talking about.

"Oh! Shit." I cursed out, "Uh, right. Yeah. I'm coming." Stiles let out a frustrated cry before hanging up. I shook my head and put my board down, pushing off and heading towards Toby's.

I spotted Stiles sitting at the back corner booth as soon as I walked into the burger joint. He saw me and rolled his head back, letting out a sigh.

"I don't have all night, Barbie." Stiles said as I came over.

"Oh, you do to." I made a face as I dropped my stuff on the seat, "I was watching a showdown happen." Stiles raised his eyebrows.

"What? Someone put a rom com in the horror section?" He asked. I pulled the extra chocolate milkshake closer to myself. I took a sip as I shrugged.

"A little bit more exciting." I waited for Stiles to respond, but he just stared at me, "I saw Mr. Argent threaten Derek Hale." I said, leaning forward and waggling my eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, what?" Stiles asked, raising his eyebrows and leaning closer to me. I pulled back and sat up against the booth.

"It was like they were rival gangs and Derek was on Mr. Argent's turf."

"What happened?" I stabbed my straw down into my milkshake.

"Nothing." I made a face, "I was coming out as it ended so…"

"So you got nothing." Stiles finished for me, sitting back and rolling his head, "God, useless."

"Hey!" I cried out, "I'm not useless." I pointed at Stiles with a curly fry, "Obviously there's something going on there."

"Well, yeah, considering Mr. Argent is a werewolf hunter and Derek's a _werewolf_." Stiles hissed out, "That could cause some tension, yeah." I chomped down on my fry and gave a grin. Stiles slumped down in his seat and brushed something off the table as I took another fry. I looked around the burger joint, not really knowing what to say next. The last time I had been to Toby's with Stiles was when we were thirteen.

"Remember when you took me here?" I asked, eyes still looking around the burger joint.

"No." Stiles instantly said. I glanced back at him, raising my eyebrows, "Yes." He grumbled out, "Surprised _you_ do, considering you forget about Chemistry homework." I waved my hand around.

"Yeah, cause Chemistry homework is _so_ appealing." I made my eyes wider. Stiles made a face at me. I looked away from him, "God, I can't believe I even said yes to it. I blame Scott for it."

"Hey!" I glared at Stiles.

"You took me on a date here but all you did was stare at Lydia Martin for the entire night because she had boobs." I said, leaning forward and pressing my palms flat on the table, "And then you popped a boner!"

"I was thirteen!" Stiles argued, "Not my fault you were a late bloomer."

"But you were on a date with me! You shouldn't have even been looking at her." I flung my hand out as if Lydia was sitting at the booth across Toby's.

"We weren't on a date!" Stiles threw his arms up in the air and started to wriggle around in his seat, "I only invited you out because I knew she was going to be there and I couldn't very well take Scott because that would be a total creeper move." I gaped at Stiles.

"So you used me to ogle Lydia Martin's boobs." I stated, tossing my hair over my shoulder. Stiles pulled up short and motioned to me with his hand.

"Well, when you say it like that…" I glared at him, gathering my things up.

"You're a fucking asshole, Stiles. You were back then, and you are now." I said, moving out of the booth and going for the door.

"Leah, wait."

"No." I said back, marching outside as Stiles followed. I let the door slam in his face and he banged on the glass, trying to get me to turn around. I whirled around and flipped him off. Stiles gaped at me before pulling the door open and stepping outside.

"At least let me drive you home." He said.

"Oh cause that's gonna make up for it." I laughed out, "Yeah, no." I turned away from him again, ready to start home.

"If your mom catches you out past curfew, she'll kill you." Stiles pointed out. I took in a breath and slowly turned back around. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"_Fine_." I said, moving my head around and rolling my eyes, giving in. Stiles nodded and we started to his Jeep.

Three years ago, Stiles had asked me out on a date. I was wary, which I had every right to be, but with a little push from Scott, I had decided to give Stiles the benefit of the doubt and go with him. It turned out to be a mess. I was brought to Toby's and we sat in the back corner booth, just as we had tonight. It was awkward, neither of us knowing what to say or do. Then in walked Lydia Martin.

_"Oh my God." Stiles whispered out._

_"What?" I asked, brow furrowing as I turned around in the booth._

_"Don't look!" Stiles hissed, slapping my hand. I looked back at him and gave him a look before turning back to look at who had just entered._

_"What is she doing here?" I asked as Lydia walked in with Jackson on her arm, a couple of her minions flocking her._

_"Well, it's a public place, Kane. She can be here if she pleases." Stiles said._

_"Not in that outfit." I said, scanning Lydia's outfit, comparing it to my ripped jeans and flannel._

_"She looks hot." Stiles whispered out, in awe. I turned around in my seat, jaw dropping. Stiles noticed my look, "What? It's true."_

_"She's a person, Stiles." I hissed out._

_"Yeah, a hot one." Stiles' eyes were on Lydia, following her as she walked through the burger joint. I threw a fry at him._

_"Stiles!" I snapped at him. Stiles looked at me as if noticing I was there for the first time._

_"What?" He snapped back. I glared at him, eyes narrowed into slits. Stiles' attention returned to Lydia. He shifted a bit in his seat and then his jaw went slack. I realized what was happening and looked away. I looked over at her and felt my mouth curl up with disgust. _

_"Whatever." I said, crumbling up my napkin and tossing it on the table. "I'm going to the bathroom."_

_"Yeah, sure." Stiles nodded, eyes glazing over. I gave a disgusted scoff at him before stomping off. I stomped past Lydia, only to have her stop me._

_"Oh my God, look who it is!" Lydia trilled out. _

_"Lydia, I really don't—"_

_"This'll only take a second." Lydia raised a perfectly manicured finger, "I just have one question." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked around, waiting for the punchline._

_"Do you always dress like a dude, or is that just some sort of statement?" Lydia asked, moving her finger around to my outfit. I rolled my eyes._

_"Nice one, Lydia. How long did that take you to come up with? Somewhere around painting your nails and curling your hair?" I asked back, squinting at her._

_"Sorry? What was that?" Lydia asked, cocking her head at me, "I don't speak loser." I licked my lips and looked around Toby's seeing that Stiles was still watching, mouth agape a bit. _

_"Yeah, well, maybe if you stopped being a—" I didn't get to finish as Lydia got up and stepped close to me._

_"Here, honey, let me help you out." Lydia stepped closer with her milkshake in her hand, "It's a simple fix, really." And then she dumped the milkshake all over my chest. I gasped as the cold ice cream hit my chest. _

_"Now you just have to change." Lydia gave me a smile. _

_"You—you—bitch!" I cried out, flicking my hands down as the vanilla ice cream ran down my shirt and skin. I looked around the burger joint to see everyone laughing at me. I met gaze with Stiles, who was still looking at Lydia. I let out a frustrated yell and shoved by Lydia, heading outside. _

The Jeep hit a bump, making my head slam against the window. I let out a little groan of pain, lifting my head from the window to sit up straight. "Sorry." Stiles murmured as he shifted gears, coming up to a stop sign.

"I'll live." I mumbled back, crossing my arms over my chest. Stiles nodded and turned up the radio a bit. He continued through the intersection and glanced at me.

"And I'm sorry about…earlier." Stiles sighed out.

"Is this gonna be a thing now?" I asked, meeting his gaze, "Apologies? Cause I don't think I can do that." I scrunched up my nose. Stiles sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, no, it doesn't have to be." Stiles shook his head. "I just wanted to you know…"

"Apologize." I finished for him. Stiles nodded.

"Yeah." He breathed out. I nodded back and fell quiet as Stiles turned onto my street.

"Thanks." I said after a moment, "For the ride." I paused, "I would say thanks for the food, but I didn't really eat any of it."

"Cause you were too busy reminiscing about the past."

"I'd rather just forget about it. And tonight." I said, glancing at Stiles as he pulled up to my house.

"Yeah, sure. Never happened." Stiles glanced at me and nodded. I nodded back and pushed out of the Jeep, hopping out. Stiles drove away as soon as I was through the front gate.

The house lights were on as I walked around the back, heading through the back door so I could drop my board outside, next to my lacrosse gear. I let the door close behind me and looked to see Dad sitting at the counter, eating some leftovers.

"Where've you been?" He asked around a mouthful of food.

"Work." I shrugged, pulling off my jacket.

"Work is over at nine. It's almost ten." Dad said, pointing his fork at the clock, "Where'd ya go?"

"Out." I shrugged again.

"Are you aware there's a police enforced curfew and that if your mother was to catch you—"

"I was with Stiles!" I cried out, cutting Dad off.

"HA!" Dad pointed at me with his fork, almost jumping out of his chair. "Tara! You owe me five bucks!" Dad called out.

"Damnit!" Mom's voice called back. I tried to hide my smile, by shaking my head and looking down.

"I hate you guys." I mumbled as I walked up to Dad.

"You went on a date." Dad sang out as I took his leftovers.

"No, I didn't." I quickly shot him down, "No, we weren't on a date." I scoffed out, "Trust me, I'd never go out on a date with Stiles again." I swirled the noodles around the fork.

"Then what did you do?" Dad asked, leaning his cheek in his hand. I shrugged.

"Nothing, he bought me food—"

"So it _was _a date." Dad cut me off. I gave him a look.

"_Because_ he didn't want to pay his late fees." I finished, shoving the fork into my mouth. Dad made a face. Mom came into the kitchen, still in her uniform.

"She didn't go on a date." Dad said as Mom came around the counter.

"But I thought she was with Stiles."

"Just because I'm _with _Stiles doesn't mean I'm _with _Stiles." I said, motioning with the fork.

"Damn." Mom sighed out, "And here I thought were gonna hear date stories." Mom took the leftovers from me and started to eat them.

"You two are ridiculous, do you know that?" I asked, pointing my finger at the two of them, "It's never gonna happen." Mom and Dad shared a look, both smiling before Mom's phone started to buzz. She stepped back and looked at it for a second before answering.

"Deputy Kane." She answered, shifting into Deputy mode. I shared a look with Dad as Mom listened to whoever was on the other line.

"I'll be right over." Mom ended the call and looked to Dad. "The bus driver succumbed to his wounds." She said with a sad smile. Dad's brow furrowed.

"But he was well on his way to recovery." Dad shook his head, "Melissa said so herself."

"Apparently not." Mom sighed and rubbed her stomach, "I have to head to the hospital and help the sheriff."

"I'll wait up." Dad kissed Mom's cheek before she walked out of the kitchen. I pulled my lips in and waited for the front door to close. Dad and I sat there in silence. I pushed the leftovers towards him. I had to get to Scott and tell him what happened. I slowly got off the stool.

"I'm gonna head upstairs." I said. Dad nodded and gave me a hug. I hugged him tight before stepping back and heading for the stairs.

Webster was lounging on my bed as I went into my room. He watched me as I went over to my window. I pushed the panes open and climbed out, stepping onto the branch. I crawled over to Scott's window, which was already opened. I tumbled through, only to slam into someone and hear three screams.

"Oh shit!" I cried out, flailing back as I tried to get my bearings.

"Leah!" Mrs. McCall's voice hit an octave, "Jesus!"

"What are you doing here?!" Stiles yelled, and I realized he was the one I slammed into. He shoved me, making me roll a bit.

"And that's about enough parenting for me for one night." Mrs. McCall sighed out, "Goodnight." She motioned to us and walked out the door. I shifted on Scott's bed, getting comfortable as I looked at Scott.

"What?" Scott asked, looking at us.

"My dad left for the hospital fifteen minutes ago." Stiles sighed out.

"Yeah and Tara just left." I added on.

"It's the bus driver." Stiles continued, "They said he succumbed to his wounds."

"Succumbed?" Scott asked, looking confused.

"Scott, he's dead." Stiles solemnly said. Scott looked in between the two of us.

"Which is weird cause Drew said that he was fine." I said, brow furrowing as I looked to Stiles and then to Scott.

"He succumbed, Leah, which means the wounds overtook and he died." Stiles said as if I were stupid.

"No, he was fine when I saw him." Scott shook his head.

"When did you see him?" I asked, looking to Scott.

"Yesterday before we went to see Derek." Scott motioned with his hand. I didn't know how to respond and neither did Stiles. I chewed on my bottom lip and shrugged.

"Maybe Derek killed him." I suggested. "Maybe he went to the hospital and—" Scott had already turned and ran out of the room. Stiles and I looked at each other before jumping up and running after him. Both of us got to the door at the same time, getting stuck in the doorframe. I pushed ahead and ran down the stairs.

Scott was gone by the time I got outside. I slowed down as I came to the edge of the yard, looking around the neighborhood. Stiles huffed as he came to a stop next to me.

"Good one, Barbie." He sighed out before heading to the Jeep. "Now we gotta go back out in the woods to find—"

"Leah Emily Kane!" I heard Dad shout, making me jump. I whirled around to see Dad standing on the porch of our house. "Where in God's name do you think you're going?"

"Holy shit." I whispered out.

"Your middle name is Emily?" Stiles asked, brow furrowing. I gave him a look.

"How long have you known me?" I asked.

"Leah!"

"Coming!" I yelled back to Dad. I looked to Stiles, "Find him. Okay?" Stiles nodded and ran around the front of the Jeep. I stepped back and headed back to my house as Stiles sped off. Dad gave me a look.

"Trying to sneak out to the lookout, eh?"

"You wish." I grumbled out as I walked past him and stomped up the stairs.

_**A/N: Yay! Updates! School has been super stressful, plus I work almost every night so I'm sorry this chapter was so short! But I felt bad for making you all wait. Plus some flashbacks! Yeaaaahhh! **_

_**Thank you for favoriting/following and huge thanks to those who reviewed: Sonny13, CourtneyxWolf725, DraxthePacifist, winchesterxgirl, chey, Theia-The-Planet, RHatch89, Readingbeyondyourvocab and Guest! Love you all very much! xxx**_


	12. Chapter 12

A gunshot echoed through the night, waking me up. I looked at my clock to see it was close to two in the morning. I groaned and let my head fall back against the pillow; it wasn't me who had gotten shot, so what did I care? My eyes had only just closed when I heard a howl. Then I was out of bed. I went over to my window and saw Scott sitting up in his bed.

I reached for my phone and quickly texted him, asking him if he had heard the gunshot and the howl. He turned to the window and I saw him nod. I nodded back and then moved to my dresser, out of view of the window. I quickly pulled on a pair of yoga pants and pulled a tank top over my sports bra. My phone buzzed again and there was a message from Scott asking if I was coming. I pulled on my sneakers and went over to the window, pushing the panes out. Scott was already climbing out of his window, walking onto the tree branch. I went over to the middle of the branch, sliding down the tree to the middle space. Then I nimbly flipped off, landing on my feet.

"So what do we think it is?" I asked as Scott landed next to me.

"I have no idea." Scott huffed out, "But it came from over that way." Scott pointed towards the industrial district.

"Then let's go." Scott looked at me before jogging off. I groaned, but went after him, catching up in a couple of moments.

"So where'd you go last night?" I asked as we ran down the street. I was good with talking while I was running. Scott used to hate it, but now that he didn't need his inhaler, he could easily talk with me.

"To Derek's. I wanted to talk to him about the bus driver."

"Guessing you didn't do much talking." I said, glancing at him. Scott made a face and shook his head.

"He beat me up pretty bad. But he didn't kill the bus driver, or his sister."

"Then who did?" I asked.

"I don't know." Scott shrugged as we rounded a corner, "He's not the one who bit me either." I slowed down to a stop, completely thrown off.

"Derek didn't bite you." I said, holding up a hand. Scott stopped a little ways ahead of me and shook his head.

"No. There's another. An Alpha." I felt my brow furrow.

"An Alpha." I stated back. Another gunshot rang out, this one closer than before.

"Come on, I'll tell you more after." Scott took off again, making me follow. I shook my head before running after him.

Scott slowed down again as we got to the back of the industrial district. We were hiding behind a building, looking around as a car came into the alley. I watched a woman with dirty blonde curls and an assault rifle with a scope on the top slung around her shoulder jump off the ledge and start towards the car as the driver's side door opened up.

"Is that Mr. Argent?" I whispered out as Mr. Argent got out of the car.

"Yeah." Scott whispered as the woman and Mr. Argent started talking.

"Chris, there were two of 'em." The woman said.

"The Alpha?" Mr. Argent asked.

"I don't know, but one of them—"

"One of them is gonna lead us to the other." Mr. Argent cut the woman with the assault rifle off. "He can't do that if he's dead."

"Well, I can't help kill either of them if one of them kills me first." The woman matter of factly said.

"How long will it take?" Mr. Argent asked.

"Give him forty-eight hours…If that." The woman shrugged and walked around Mr. Argent, getting into the car.

"What? Who only has forty-eight hours?" I asked Scott as the car started up.

"Whoever she shot I guess." Scott shrugged. I stepped back from the building.

"So that was highly unsatisfying." I sighed as Scott turned around to look at me.

"I wonder who she shot." Scott started walking back towards our houses.

"Well, whoever it is, they'll be dead in forty-eight hours." I raised my shoulders and turned around on my toes and started to walk next to Scott.

"So Derek's not the Alpha." I stated, getting back to our conversation.

"Right." Scott nodded.

"And he didn't bite you." I said, getting another nod from Scott. "Did he kill the bus driver?"

"I don't know." Scott shook his head.

"Okay, okay." I looked at my sneakers, "But Derek wants you to help him find this Alpha."

"Cause he killed Laura."

"How do we know the Alpha is a guy?" I asked, "Could be a girl Alpha."

"True." Scott shrugged as we got to our street. I saw my house a little ways away.

"Oh shit." I whispered before taking off in a run. The lights were on in my room and in the living room.

"Leah, wait!" Scott hissed out before I heard him start to run, catching up with me in a couple of seconds.

I ran up the front walk and pushed through the front door just as Mom walked by, on her phone, "Just let me know if she shows up…" She trailed off as she saw me, "Never mind." I stopped in the doorway and pulled my lips in, trying to look innocent. Mom hung up her phone and stared at me. Then her gaze flicked over my shoulder.

"Scott, go home before your Mom wakes up for her shift."

"Mrs. Kane, it wasn't Leah's—"

"Scott, just go." I softly said, looking over my shoulder at him, "I'll see you tomorrow." Scott nodded and turned away from me, walking down the front steps. I closed the door behind him and took in a breath before turning around and facing Mom.

"Hey…" I trailed off, tapping my fists together. Mom crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows at me.

"Listen, I know you're mad—"

"I'm not mad." Mom cut me off. I laughed.

"Oh, don't start that." I said, shaking my head, "You're mad."

"No, I'm not." Mom made a face and shrugged, "I'm disappointed." I felt my stomach drop and looked away from her. "I'm disappointed in you, Leah."

"Yeah, heard you the first time." I mumbled out.

"You went out after curfew _again_."

"I was with Scott, Mom!" I cried out, "Nothing was going to happen!"

"That you know of!" Mom shouted back, "Leah, you could've been killed."

"I could've been killed all day, Mom." I said, "There's a whole twenty-four hours for me to be killed." Mom stared at me, arms crossed over her chest.

"There's a curfew for a reason. And you're gonna start abiding by it. Tomorrow, I want you straight home."

"Whatever." I all about snapped out.

"You know I hate when you say that." Mom brandished a finger at me. I rolled my eyes at her.

"It's a word, Mom." I said back, making my eyes wide.

"Room. Now." Mom pointed at the stairs. I let out a huff and went for the stairs, stomping up them.

"Be a little louder, why don't you?" Mom called out.

"With pleasure!" I shouted back at her, stomping a little harder against the stairs.

The next thing that woke me up wasn't a gunshot, but my alarm. I had only gotten a few more hours of sleep, considering I was up searching for any news stories about a person who had been shot in the industrial district. There wasn't anything and I figured that I shouldn't bring it up to Mom; ever since last night when I came in so late.

"There's nothing about who was shot." I said as I angled my board to miss a pothole as Scott rode his bike next to me.

"So he didn't go to the hospital or anything?" Scott asked.

"Apparently not." I shrugged. Scott and I fell into a comfortable silence as we made our way to school. "Anyway, how was bowling?" I asked, changing the subject. We hadn't gotten a chance to talk about how his date actually went.

"Really good." Scott nodded to himself, a small smile on his face, "I think she likes me."

"So you didn't totally suck." I said, glancing at Scott. Scott shook his head and laughed.

"Nope."

"Good." I nodded, making an approving sound.

"How was your date with Stiles?" Scott asked. I was so thrown off, I misangled my board and went stumbling off of it. Scott laughed at me. I glared at him as I jogged to grab my board from rolling all the way away from me.

"It wasn't a date." I grumbled, picking it up.

"Sure sounded like a date." Scott raised his eyebrows, "From what Stiles told me."

"Well, everything Stiles says is a _lie_." I made a face at Scott as I threw my board back down and stepped on it, pushing off.

"Okay, then how was your whatever it was?"

"_Fine._" I said in a tone that said _drop it. _Scott just laughed at me.

I stayed with Scott as he chained up his bike, Stiles came up to us and I crossed my arms over my chest, "Spazz Attack." I greeted him.

"Barbie. You look like shit which is an oxymoron considering you're supposed to look like a Barbie." Stiles nodded at me.

"Holy shit you know the word _oxymoron_." I made my eyes wide and let my mouth open a bit.

"Do you need to me give you the definition?" Stiles asked, stepping forward. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Do you wanna tell him or should I?" I asked Scott.

"Tell me what?" Stiles asked as Scott sighed, "Tell me _what?_" Stiles all about shouted.

"God, you're so impatient." I sighed out, "How do you even get away with masturbating if you can't even last a minute?"

"Good thing it only takes a minute." Stiles shot back. I grimaced. Stiles realized what he said and then his mouth opened a little before he closed it and then shook his head, deciding to just drop it.

"Anyway, tell me what?" Stiles asked as the bell rang. I rocked back on my heels.

"Gotta go boys. Harris awaits." I said before turning on my toes and going into school.

Allison caught up with me later in the day before I went into my last class. She bounced up to me with a smile on her face as I glanced at her.

"So you did well on that English test." I assumed, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah that was easy." Allison waved her hand around in the air and scoffed a bit.

"Then why are you all so…cheerleady?" I asked, motioning to her.

"Today is just a good day." Allison nodded to herself as we walked to my locker. "My aunt Kate came into town last night and she's here for my birthday and then Scott's coming over to study tonight—"

"Wait, back up." I held up a hand, "When's your birthday?" I asked. Allison bit her lip and shook her head.

"I didn't say it was my birthday."

"You said your aunt was in town for your birthday…" I trailed off, "So your birthday must be sometime soon…" I motioned around as we got to my locker. Allison chewed on her bottom lip a bit more

"It's on Monday." She whispered out. I felt my eyes widen at the date. Allison took that as a bad sign and let out a groan, "See? This is why I didn't want to tell anyone! Cause they always react like this."

"No, no, no it's not that." I shook my head and looked to my locker, spinning my locker combo, "It's just…" I glanced at her before popping my locker open, "My birthday is on Monday too." I quietly said.

"What?!" Allison all about screeched.

"Can you shut up please?" I hissed out, "_God_." I shook my head as Allison grabbed my arm and shook it a bit.

"We're birthday twins!" She stage whispered.

"Yes, I'm aware! Thank you!" I stage whispered right back before pulling my arm back and taking out my books. Allison couldn't stop smiling at me as I shoved my books into my backpack.

"So Scott's coming over?" I asked, changing the subject.

"What?" Allison asked, looking at me. I gave her a look, "Oh, yeah, but we're just studying." Allison shook her head and looked down at the floor.

"Mmm, no you aren't." I closed my locker door. Allison visibly flushed. "Trust me, I've seen enough teen movies to know that you aren't studying." I paused, "Well, you might be…maybe anatomy." I made a face as a pretended to think about it. Allison smacked my arm, making me laugh at her.

"He's your best friend." Allison hissed out, "Shouldn't you be like against all of this." I gave Allison a look.

"This is real life, Ally, not the movies where the girl best friend gets jealous of the girlfriend." Allison pulled her lips in a looked to the ground.

"Scott is…a giant puppy." I said, "He's the sweetest guy ever, and won't pressure you into anything you don't want to do. So…just go with the flow." I said, moving my hand in a wave motion. Allison laughed at me. Allison laughed at me.

"You shouldn't be talking to me about this sort of stuff." I said, looking around the hallway and spotting Lydia, "You should be talking to Lydia. She's the one with the boyfriend and the experience." I said, pointing to the strawberry-blonde.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but have you had a boyfriend?" Allison asked, glancing at me.

"I hooked up with Danny once." I admitted, looking down as Allison laughed at me, "It was a dark time okay!" I cried out, looking back up at the ceiling and laughing, "I didn't know he was gay!"

"But that's it?" Allison asked.

"Yeah." I nodded, "I mean, I kissed Scott once." I crinkled my nose up, "But it was gross and like kissing a brother." I glanced to Allison, who gave me a small smile, "Oh shit, fuck." I whispered, realizing I had messed up, "That's not what I meant." I held up my hands, "I meant that he was a good kisser, but he—we—I—I'm just gonna stop talking." I said, putting my hands over my mouth.

"I think I'm just gonna go talk to Lydia." Allison said, thumbing over her shoulder. I nodded and gave her a thumbs up with my free hand. Allison walked away from me and I turned the corner, dropping my hand and letting out a massive sigh before running into someone.

"Leah." Derek's voice breathily said and then he took in a deep breath. I stepped back, getting a better look at him.

"Damn, you really shouldn't be saying my name like that." I said, "Especially when you look like death and not like you're ready to sex me up." I moved around a bit as Derek coughed.

"Where's….Scott?" Derek managed out.

"In class." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. My eyes still went around his appearance, blood was dripping from his sleeve and splattering onto the floor.

"What the fuck happened?" I asked out. Derek stumbled, falling against the wall and letting out another shaky breath.

"Okay, okay." I figured out that whatever was happening wasn't good. "We need to get you out of sight."

"Scott…" Derek started.

"You're bleeding all over the school floor." I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind me. It was tough, but I managed to get him to the girls' locker room. He stumbled past me and into the lockers, sliding down the wall and taking in heaving breaths.

"Stay here." I said, pointing at him and taking a few quick steps back. I had to find Scott. Whatever had happened to Derek was supernatural and Scott was the only supernatural person I knew.

I ran out of the locker room, going back up the stairs I had just gone down, heading to Scott's classroom. He had History last period.

"Leah!" I heard Jackson shout from behind me. I didn't stop, shoving through a group of freshmen. "Kane!" Jackson sounded like he was running. "Leah!" I whirled around.

"_What!?"_ I cried out, "I'm on a mission here, Jackson. Don't have time to trade war stories."

"Well tell Scott that his drug dealer assaulted me on school property." Jackson hissed out.

"I'm not his lackey. Tell him yourself." I snapped out, whirling around. Jackson grabbed my arm and I whirled back around on instinct, smacking him across the face.

"Don't touch me." I hissed out. Jackson stared at me, jaw clicking.

"I don't know what he's on, but I'm gonna find out." Jackson lowly said before stepping back and walking away from me. I watched him go down the hall as the bell rang, making me jump.

"Damnit." I cursed as kids started spilling out of the classrooms, engulfing me. I pushed through the crowd, trying to get back to the locker room.

"Derek?" I called out, "Derek!" The locker room was empty. "Fuck!" I cried out, running out of the locker room and back down the hall, trying to get outside.

Scott was by the bike rack as I got to him, "Scott!" I called out, getting him to look up at me, eyebrows knitting in confusion. Then I heard a screech of tires as someone stopped suddenly. I looked over to see Derek standing in the middle of the parking lot, hand up, stopping Stiles' Jeep.

"Oh no." I whispered as Derek promptly collapsed onto the ground. Scott took in a sharp breath and quickly discarded his bike, running into the parking lot and to the Jeep. I followed, hurrying over to Derek as Scott went to Stiles.

"I thought I told you to stay in the locker room." I hissed out as I helped Derek into a sitting position. Derek just glared at me.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked.

"I was shot." Derek managed out as Stiles clambered out of his Jeep, coming to the three of us.

"He's not looking so good, dude." Stiles stated the obvious.

"Oh really? I think he looks great for just being shot." I sarcastically said back. Stiles gave me a look.

"Why aren't you healing?" Scott asked

"I can't." Derek let out a breath, "It was-it was a different kind of bullet."

"A silver bullet?" Stiles and I asked at the same time.

"No, you idiots." Derek growled out. I dropped my chin to my chest, making a face.

"Wait, wait. That's what she meant when she said you had forty eight hours." Scott realized. "Remember?" He asked, looking to me.

"What? Who-who said 48 hours?" Derek asked, looking from Scott to me.

"The one who shot you." I said, motioning with my hand. People were starting to beep at us. I stood up and threw my hand up in the air.

"Beeping isn't gonna make us go any faster, assholes!" I yelled out to the ever growing line of cars. Jackson got out of his Porsche and Allison was standing beside her car, looking at us.

"I'm gonna put him in your car." Scott said. I glanced back down to see him helping Derek to his feet. Stiles gaped at him before rolling his head back and silently agreeing. I smirked at him as Scott put Derek in the passenger seat of the Jeep. Stiles climbed into the driver's side. I stood next to Scott as Derek leaned out the window.

"I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used." Derek breathed out.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Scott asked back, completely bewildered.

"'Cause she's an Argent." Derek hissed out, "She's with them."

"Why should I help you?" Scott asked.

"Because you need me." Derek truthfully said. I looked to Scott and shrugged, it was true. Scott needed Derek. He was the only other werewolf in Beacon Hills—that we were aware of.

"Fine. I'll try." Scott agreed. He looked to me, "You're going with them."

"No, I'm not." I said, shaking my head, "_Someone_ got me grounded last night."

"Since when have you ever listened to your mom's grounding?" Stiles scoffed out.

"Since…now." I said, flipping my hair over my shoulder and crossing my arms. "Excuse me for not wanting to be stuck in a car with a dying werewolf and a Spazz Attack until Scotty finds a magic bullet."

"Cute." Stiles said, jutting his chin up at me, "Trust me, you aren't too great to look at either."

"Didn't want you looking at me anyway." I said, eyes wide and moving my head a bit.

"Just get him out of here." Scott grumbled out.

"I hate you for this so much." Stiles said through gritted teeth before driving away. The line of cars started to drive past me and Scott. Some of them flipped us off while others just gave us a dirty look.

"Hey." Allison said as she came up to us, "What was he doing here?"

"Stiles was just, um, giving him a ride." Scott managed to come up with a lie. I crossed my arms over my chest as he glanced to me, "Uh, long story."

"But I thought you said you weren't friends with him." Allison said, brow furrowing a bit.

"No, not really." Scott quickly changed the subject, "Um, we're still studying together, right? So I'll meet you back at your place?"

"Yeah." Allison still seemed doubtful. Scott kissed her cheek.

"Okay, bye." He hurried off to the bike rack and I had no choice but to give Allison a tight smile and head over to where Scott was.

"Smooth." I said under my breath.

"Yeah, well, I didn't know what to say!" Scott responded.

"The truth?" I asked out, squinting at him. Scott gave me a look before unchaining his bike. He glanced around and then locked eyes on Jackson. They held gaze for a moment before Scott pulled his bike out of the bike rack and set it down.

"Just keep your phone on you." Scott mumbled out.

"Have fun _studying_." I said, making a face. Scott didn't acknowledge me as he rode off. 

**A/N: I had to split this chapter just because I wanted to get an update out because it's been like, forever, since one. So yeah. There we go. As always, thank you to all those who have favorited/followed this story! Especially those who reviewed; RHatch89, It's-A-Passion, Taffyrose, winchesterxgirl, OrginialsTVDAddict, Guest, Lera, (I feel a sense of accomplishment for some reason) Ayine, BrittWitt16, and Readingbeyondyourvocab. You da best of the best fo shizzle. xxx**


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